


Twinning

by CoverFireGoddess880 (orphan_account)



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Best Friends, Blood and Violence, Boys Kissing, Brotherly Love, Childbirth, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fondling, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Intersex Noctis, Intersex Prompto, Just Brotherly Love!, Kidnapping, M/M, Mild Language, Mpreg, No Romance Between Chocobros, Pregnant Sex, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Content, Sexual Violence, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence, graphic description of childbirth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2018-06-26
Packaged: 2019-01-29 17:29:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 50,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12635766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/CoverFireGoddess880
Summary: On a detour visiting a snowy ranch that breeds a rare kind of chocobos, the four boys find themselves in a dangerous situation when the ranch owner wants something he never thought he'd get: two beautiful boys.They end up in a race against time.....time they don't have.





	1. Snowbound in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> I've gone and done it. I've started writing something I didn't think I ever would, but we've all gotta step out and do something crazy every now and again, right?
> 
> So this is a very violent story with a few light parts here and there.
> 
> Please be wary of the tags! If it sounds like too much for you, please don't feel obligated to read it! I want you to be comfortable reading something. PLEASE.
> 
> Well, here it is.

“Man, I'm freezing to death over here!”, Prompto complained, walking a little slower behind his three companions. Snowflakes danced in the air, fluttering to the young blonde’s wool cap and sticking to it like Velcro. “Are we there yet?” Whining must be one of his hobbies; or so Ignis thought.

“You know, Prompto, it would help if you had chosen to wear warmer clothing,” the advisor chided him, shielding his glasses from the frosty flakes. Gladio stomped through the snowy mounds with his large winter boots.

“Yeah, when Iggy tells you to ‘bundle up’, he means put something warm on so you don’t freeze your ass off!” He peered back at Prompto, looking him up and down. “You look like a prairie chicken.” He chuckled.

Prompto pouted. “Do not! These are the finest duds around! Every piece was specially designed for me,” he bragged. As the mounds got higher, he struggled to keep his balance as he got knee-deep in the first ‘avalanche’ of the season. The other three were struggling faster than him. “Hey! Wait up, guys! C’mon!”

Noctis was pretty far ahead of the others when he slipped on the snow-covered ice just beneath his feet and almost fell face first into the sparkling, powdery hills. “Ah, ah-!” He flailed his arms backwards as he tried to catch himself. Gladio came up behind him and caught him by the arm, lifting him back up to his chilled feet. “Thanks, Gladio.”

“Watch your step, speedy. Don’t stumble off by yourself,” the shield replied, brushing some flakes off of his heavy coat.

Ignis groaned. “Yes, please. Try to stick together.”

“Are we ALMOST there?” Prompto’s whiny pitch didn’t travel far, but unfortunately was heard by Gladio, who huffed and started stomping faster through the snow.

Noctis stopped waist-deep in the white, glistening mounds and turned back toward his friends. “Prompto, will you quit it? You’re the one who wanted to go to this stupid thing in the first place,” he said through chattering teeth.

Prompto looked up at his best friend and grinned widely. “It’s not stupid, Noct! It’s the breed of wild, winter chocobos, the only kind around! It’s totally rare, dude! Who would pass up a chance to see them up close?”

“Me,” the prince snorted. “I'm cold, I’m wet, and I wanna go back to the RV.” Prompto frowned as he caught up to him.

“Aw, don’t be like that! It’ll be awesome! Whaddya say?!” He smiled again as the chill wind blew across his freckled, kind face.

Noctis sighed. “You’ve already got me out here, so I don’t really have a choice now!”

“Nor do we, apparently,” Ignis reluctantly added.

Gladio motioned back towards the others to follow him as he got ahead of them. “Prompto, if these chocobos are anything like you say they are, I’m gonna hog-tie you to one of ‘em and send you off into this damn snow and into a chasm somewhere,” he barked.

Prompto slowed, helping Noctis along with his arm around the prince's shoulders. “Easy, big guy. I promise, the chocobos are gonna be so cool!”

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

“See?! What’d I tell ya?!” The young blonde yelled to his friends as he rode off into the endless mountain of snow on a grey tundra chocobo.

Noctis snickered, shivering in the covered stable. “Tundra chocobos, huh? Maybe some other time.” He stumbled over towards Ignis. “Ignis? Where’s the owner?”

Ignis turned toward the prince and smiled. “Inside, Noct. He’s preparing hot chocolate for all of us when we’re done enjoying the chocobos,” he explained, rubbing his arms up and down to generate heat.

Noctis glanced into the shop and smirked. “Mm...hot chocolate sounds good to me.”

Gladio straddled the back of a white tundra chocobo and started galloping out of the stable. “We’ll meet you guys inside later!” He took off just as the snow began to fall harder.

“Not too much later, Gladiolus!”, the advisor called out. “The weather seems to be making a turn for the worse! Be careful, both of you!” Prompto was just riding by in the distance with his legs and arms up in the air, smiling and shouting out to Gladio about racing him.

Noctis laughed. “They sure are having a blast out there in this freezing wasteland..,” he mumbled, smiling at his friends frolicking with the larger breed of chocobos.

Ignis hummed in response, a kind grin on his features. “Let’s head inside. Shall we, Noct?”

“Gladly.” He was shivering from head to toe. 

As they opened the shop door, the owner came to the front and greeted them. He was a very well-built, middle-aged man around 30. He had brown slicked-back hair and a full beard stubble. He stood at around 6’4”, but his muscled torso made him seem taller. “Ah, had enough of those wonderful chocobos? I can’t blame you if you wanna stay out longer,” he said, winking at the two of them. He was holding two of four mugs he had prepared. “Got some hot chocolate for you boys.” He was wearing a black checkered button-up, buttoned down a few to reveal his impressive abs; with Meldacio-branded hunting trousers and heavy, brown, steel-toed boots.

Ignis nodded. “Much obliged,” he thanked him, taking the mug.

Noctis thanked him as well; the man intentionally mouthing ‘you're welcome’ to the prince.

The shop was small, but cozy. The walls were wooden, painted brown. Chocobo merchandise filled the shelves to the brim, surrounding the only cash register. On a separate wall, saddles and bridles hung on hooks. Tourist items were also on display. The three were sitting in a living space just next to the ‘action alley’ of the shop; a fire flickering in the chimney beside them.

But the thing Noctis noticed most, was how warm is was in here. He relaxed, closed his eyes and slumped down in the sofa he and Ignis were sitting on. “So you breed tundra chocobos? They are a rare kind you say?” Ignis spoke to the owner.

The man nodded. “Yup. Tundra chocobos are a different kind of breed. They only mate once every 3 years and their feathery bodies are all covered in the heaviest down imaginable. So they're good for hunting! Not to mention their powerful leg muscles: also great for sporting! And riding in blizzard-like conditions,” he said, pointing outside. It was blizzarding out there. Ignis cast a worried glanced out the window.

“Good heavens, you can’t hardly see out there! I hope Prompto and Gladio have returned.” Speak of the devil, the blonde and the shield both rushed in the doorway, covered in sweat, snow and mud.

“Well, we made it,” Gladio stated. He was out of breath and Prompto was shivering terribly. “It’s like hell froze over out there!”

“Y-y-yeah...Mister? I c-could sure have that hot chocolate r-right about now…”

Both the owner and Ignis hopped up from their seats and helped the other men get settled into the warmth of the house.

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

“So, you live here?”, Gladio asked, wrapped up in a blanket, sipping Cup Noodles instead of hot chocolate. When he was cold, he would always opt for those noodles over hot chocolate any day.

The man shook his head. “No. I have a cabin in the woods a little ways from here,” he waved off in some other direction.

“And the chocobos. Are they alright here as well?”, Ignis inquired.

“Oh yeah,” the man answered. “Those birds were born for this kind of weather. I’d be more worried about yourselves.” He glanced over at Noctis and Prompto who were fast asleep, cuddled up in a blanket together. Prompto’s head falling against the back of the sofa, with Noctis leaning his head on Prompto’s shoulder. They looked so peaceful to the man. “Oh, I’m Keith, by the way,” he introduced, not taking his eyes off the sleepy boys.

“A pleasure,” Ignis replied with an honest smile. “May I ask your age, sir?

“‘Course. I’m 33, and never been afraid of hard work in my life,” he chuckled.

“You been here that long?”, Gladio asked, setting his empty Cup Noodle cup on the coffee table.

“Yep. Parents bought the land and raised me on it. You know, they were the ones who discovered the tundra chocobos.”

Ignis took another sip of his hot chocolate. “You must be proud.”

The man smiled. “You bet I am. Proud of everything I’ve come to own,” he said, glancing over at the slumbering boys again. Prompto was softly snoring as Noctis slept without a sound. “You could spend the night here. I don’t mind having guests. Gets kinda lonely at times.”

“That’s kind of ya, Keith, but we should hit the road,” Gladio stated as the wind howled and whistled, rattling the windows. The storm was getting fiercer as it got darker.

“Wherever the road is. I'm not letting you leave in that monster of a storm. You’ll be dead by morning,” he bolstered. “You should stay!”

“We’d be in your debt, Keith. Thank you,” Ignis said with a smile.

“Sure,” he responded quietly as he gazed at the prince and the blonde’s soft, slumbering forms. “You’ll be very comfortable here,” he assured them, smiling at the younger boys. “Very comfortable.”

Gladio quietly stepped over to the sleepy boys and gently shook them awake. “C’mon, guys, we’re staying here tonight. And be sure to thank Keith before you come to bed.” He strode to the back of the house to the lodging rooms.

“Yes, Dad,” Noctis mumbled irritably, rubbing his bleary eyes. When he finally managed to open his eyes, he glanced confusingly about the room. “Wait, who’s Keith?”

Keith raised his hand in acknowledgement. “That’s me, my boy.” He was standing beside the sofa making sure the boys woke up as Ignis made his way over to them. But Keith held up his hand. “I’ve got them, Mister…?”

“My apologies.” He bowed his head. “Ignis Scientia.”

“Right, Ignis. I’ll make sure they get up fine. You go follow your burly friend,” he said, bending down to the boys’ level.

Ignis watched the man as he gently brushed some loose blonde bangs out of Prompto’s face before he pushed on his shoulder to wake him. Noctis yawned and asked Keith a question that Ignis didn’t hear, but the man smiled at the prince as he whispered his answer. The advisor smiled at how careful the man was with the two youngest members of their group. Strangely, he felt a tug at his heart then, telling him something was off. But he ignored it as Keith shifted Prompto, who was still half asleep, into his muscular arms and carried him into the back of the house.

Noctis happily stretched out on the sofa then sat up. “He’s got places to stay here?” Ignis nodded as the prince slowly rose to his feet. “I wonder how cozy and warm the beds are…”

Ignis snickered. “You’ll find out, Noct.”

“Where’s Prompto?”

“Keith carried him into the back, where the beds are,” the advisor answered. “He was too tired to walk himself.”

Noctis hummed and shuffled back toward where his two other friends were probably asleep already. As he walked down the hallway, he saw there were numerous paintings of chocobos hanging on both sides. He was admiring a picture of a rare black chocobo when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He whipped around and met Keith standing pretty close to him.

The man wore a smile. “You’re awake!”, he exclaimed, his brown eyes shining endearingly at the prince. Noctis flinched slightly. “Your friend, Gladiolus? He was telling me it was nearly impossible to wake you up!” His pleased tone seemed a little odd.

“Uh, yeah. Could you point me to where I can sleep?” He sidestepped out of the man’s gaze.

Keith nodded and lead Noctis to the same room Prompto was in with his palm on his back. The room was rather small, but was enough to fit two single beds in it. Prompto was already tangled in all the sheets in the bed, snoring loudly when Noctis entered the room and climbed into the other bed. He didn’t even bother to take his jacket off as he shut his eyes and sighed contentedly into the soft pillow.

“Goodnight, boys,” Keith whispered, before he closed the door to just a crack. Noctis returned a muffled ‘goodnight’, then went out like a light.

Keith sighed and peeked over into the older boys’ darkened room. Soft snoring and slow breathing could be heard from inside. “Fast asleep,” he thought, grinning to himself as he quietly walked back into the shop to gather up a few ‘essentials’. It was going to be a busy night for him while the storm howled and screeched. “This is going to work perfectly,” he chuckled to himself. The only thing on his mind was his lone cabin; way far out in the forest. The place where his footprints were always covered over the morning after. 

He tiptoed back down the hallway, toward the bedrooms. Slowly and quietly, he opened the door to Noctis’s and Prompto’s room. Stepping inside, he made his way over to the young blonde, whose snoring had gone silent. Carefully, he reached down for the blonde’s face…

Suddenly, Prompto felt very strong hands wrapping something over his mouth and around his head. His eyes flew open and there in the darkness, was someone large and intimidating glaring back at him. He tried to scream, but the scarf was holding it back. Instinctively, he reached up for his face to tear away at the scarf that was also blocking most of his airway, making him feel like he couldn’t breathe. The scarf was tightened and those same strong hands came and ripped Prompto’s away from his face and up above his head. The unknown person then set his knee on Prompto’s chest, almost crushing it. The young blonde winced, shutting his eyes. He bucked and flailed as he tried to get this person off of him, but was quickly growing weak as his airway was being crushed and restricted. The person leaned down to Prompto’s ear and breathed hot breath on him, making him shudder. Then they spoke.

“Shh...easy, boy. I don’t want to hurt you,” the deep voice whispered harshly to the blonde. “I just need you to come with me.” The person, Prompto noted was a man, then proceeded to lick his ear. Prompto muffled a weak whimper as the man began tying the blonde’s hands above his head. The blonde frantically glanced over at Noctis, who was sound asleep and hadn’t stirred. Tears pricked at his eyes as the man lifted him off the bed. Prompto tried to kick with his legs at the man, who grunted and slammed the blonde back down on the bed; his breath knocked out of his aching lungs.

Prompto lay limply as the man came close to his ear again. “Before I do this again, let me tell you something,” he hissed reaching down to palm Prompto through his pants. “Be a good boy for me, or I’ll take your prince first instead.” Prompto arched and felt his face get hot as the man wrapped his long, rough fingers around Prompto’s length. “Give me an answer,” he snarled. “Will you be a good boy?”

Prompto nodded as his tears fell and soaked through the scarf around his mouth. He does not want this man to touch Noctis. So, he answers plainly: nodding ‘yes’.

“Good.” The man picked Prompto back up and started carrying him out of the room quietly. The blonde stole one last tearful glance at Noctis before he was taken out of the darkened room.


	2. Born and Bred

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update, yay! Except I shouldn't be too happy, because this chapter is so heartbreaking. There are lots of disturbing parts in this one and in more to come, so be warned or prepared, whichever works for you.
> 
> I am so sorry, Prompto. So, so sorry, my friend!
> 
> So here it is

Keith shoved the door open with his shoulder and stepped in from the icy storm, carrying Prompto into his cabin. The blonde was so cold he thought his toes would fall off. The man kicked the door closed with his muddy boot and then quickly carried Prompto to the back of the cabin. They passed at least 4 other rooms, that Prompto had counted, before they reached the last door on the right at the end of the hall.

Prompto squirmed just a little when Keith looked down at him, just so he didn’t anger him more. “You’ve been good so far, boy. Now, I’m gonna show you my room as a reward for being so good.” His wicked smile made Prompto’s stomach churn as his eyes went wide. The man shifted Prompto so he could grab the doorknob with one hand to gently push it open. He slowly walked in as Prompto glanced around the room.

It was a simple log cabin room, with a king size plush bed up against one of the walls. A writing desk, a wooden wardrobe and a conjoining bathroom. The bed was the most impressive thing in it. It had black, velvet 3-foot long pillows, the headboard was intricately carved into the face of a coeurl, and the bedspread was also a dark gray color, plush and cotton as the sides draped across the plank floor. It looked like it belonged in a king’s bedroom, Prompto thought.

Keith satisfyingly sighed and brought Prompto over to the bed and gently placed him on it, smiling down at him. “Ah, my boy…,” he chimed, tenderly brushing the blonde’s hair from his forehead. “You’ve got such pretty eyes…” He flashed those sinister browns once more. “Now I wanna see how they look when you’re underneath me, moaning my name and begging me for release..” He slowly crawled over the blonde, leaning down dangerously low to take Prompto’s scarf away. As soon as the scarf came off, Prompto gasped for air. But before he fully caught his breath, Keith captured the blonde’s lips in a tongue kiss. Prompto struggled, kicking at the man, trying to push him off as he raised himself up on his elbows. The man chuckled in Prompto’s mouth and moved both of his broad legs on either side of the blonde’s waist, straddling him.

The blonde whined and took his bound hands to push on Keith’s already sweaty abs. “Ah yes...I wanna...feel you…,” he taunted through the blonde’s mouth, as his tongue overpowered Prompto’s. The blonde could feel heat rising in his core as his fluids pooled beneath him. He hated how this man, this sickening man, was making him feel. Keith pulled his tongue away slowly, dragging a string of saliva across Prompto’s shirt. The blonde continued to gasp for breath as he looked up fearfully at the man above him. Keith laughed and reached for Prompto’s bound hands, bringing them to his mouth to chew the rope off. Once the rope fell off his wrists, the blonde immediately tried to scoot up away from the man. But Keith was too fast and heavy as his rough hands gripped Prompto’s hips, so hard that he would indeed leave dark bruises.

“No!” Keith barked loudly, pulling Prompto back down under him. “You will stay. I want to have you, take you. I want to thrust into you so fast that I have you begging for mercy…”

Prompto saw the malevolent eagerness in the man’s eyes and gulped. He was scared of what this man was thinking of doing to him. What he had done already was disgusting, vile and it sickened Prompto more than anything. He wished he could permanently shut his mouth closed and turn his body off to all feelings.

Keith looked the blonde up and down with a smug smirk. “Mmm, mmm, mm. You need to be undressed now so we can start.” His hands went for Prompto’s shirt, slipping under and sliding it up and over Prompto’s head, revealing his thinly toned torso. “My boy, you look fine,” he complemented the boy’s figure. He lowered his body even further over the blonde’s waist as Prompto tried desperately to push him away.

“No, no please.” He flailed weakly. “Please, please get off me. Please get off me!” His begging was pleasing to the man’s ears as he chuckled menacingly.

“No, my boy. I finally have one of you,” he said, “those males that are born with the ability to reproduce. And I’m not letting you go anywhere.” He drew his hands down Prompto’s chest, down his belly and finally down to the zipper on his pants.

It clicked in his head then, just what this man wanted. He wanted to impregnate the blonde. Prompto’s head was spinning as he remembered he was one of those males: born with the ability to bear children. He recalled those days when he would get strange looks from the kids in school; the whispers in the hallway as he walked to class.

He was humiliated when all of his classmates found out one day in high school gym class. He had an accident on the nice, clean gym floor and all the kids were laughing, making fun of him; except Noctis, who understood, being one of those males himself. He tried his best to comfort his best friend as he cried, embarrassed by what he was. Prompto had learned to accept what he was and move on. But to have it brought back up in this disturbing and frightening situation? It had Prompto on the verge of tears again. What if this man did make him pregnant? What would he do? How would he deal with that? All these questions flooded his mind that he couldn’t think anymore.

Before Prompto could process the rest of what was going on, the man had already removed all of his clothes; all the way down to his socks. He was sprawled out before the man, bare naked and all he saw in Keith’s eyes was hunger and possessiveness. The look on the man’s face didn’t even seem human anymore. Keith licked his lips as he pawed at Prompto’s inner thighs, making the blonde’s whole body quiver. “Anything you want to tell me, my boy? Or in this case, ask me? Because you’re in no position to demand anything.” He then lightly brushed both hands across Prompto’s soft cock. The blonde whimpered and squirmed before he answered.

“I-I want t-to know...why you’re d-doing this...What do you w-want? And h-how do you know a-about me?” He attempted to look anywhere but the man’s face, when Keith grabbed his freckled cheeks and forced him to look up at him, that sadistic grin plastered on his face.

“It’s not obvious? I want you to carry my seed. I want you to bear my children.” His voice rose as he continued. “9 months from now, you will be heavy with my child and soon to give birth. That’s what I want.”

“B-but, why?”

Keith kissed his swollen lips. “Because I want children, but also because you are so pretty, my boy. I want you all to myself. Is that too much to ask?”

Prompto nodded as he squirmed again; his half hard cock brushed up against the man’s trousers and made him groan. Keith laughed as he grasped the blonde’s length and began stroking him. “I’m gonna do this for you, and then I want a look at you down here for myself,” he stated, leaning down to lick Prompto’s tip. The pressure was building in his core as the man continued his action. Prompto arched up and gasped, gripping at the bedspread. “Does it feel good, my boy?”, Keith asked, as he took one hand away to undo his belt.

Prompto shook his head no as his breathing became harder and ragged. His cock quivered and leaked some fluid as Keith stroked him over and over. Prompto tried to hold back his moan as he came close to release, covering his mouth with a free hand. But after his belt buckle was undone, Keith pulled the blonde’s hand from his mouth and Prompto’s moan escaped, leaving more in its wake. Prompto was a writhing mess as he bucked his hips with every stroke, giving the man much pleasure at watching the blonde helpless in his grip.

In the middle of a stroke, Prompto bucked higher and groaned as his fluid came into the man’s hand and dripped down onto the bedspread. Keith smiled at him. “Yes, there we are. Good, my boy, very good. You are so pretty.” He brought his semen-dripping hand to his mouth and licked it. “Hmm...you don’t taste too bad either,” he said, as he then gripped Prompto’s bruised hips again, but even harder, making Prompto cry out in pain. “Now that you’re all set there, I wanna see your opening.” 

He gestured his head up for Prompto to lift his body, but Prompto couldn’t move yet. He was still in shock from his release, so Keith moved him himself. Prompto yelped a gasp as the man forced his shaking legs apart and pushed them against the blonde’s chest. The man brushed Prompto’s other parts to the side as he gawked at the blonde’s opening: wet, pink and already dripping. Keith grinned widely and chuckled as he stuck his finger down and traced the edge of the opening, gaining another moan from the boy as he arched yet again. “Mm-hm...ah, my boy, look at you! You’re ready for me, how sweet.”

Prompto gripped at the sheets again and let out a shallow gasp as he dared to watch the man’s face through his parted legs. Keith smirked up at him and slid one hand down the blonde’s vulnerable thigh, getting Prompto to groan weakly. “P-please, don’t. Don’t, please! I’m b-begging you!”

Keith chortled as he inched closer to the blonde. “But, my boy, I want you begging me for another release! Not for me to stop. Now be a good boy, and act as demure as you can while I fill you with my seed,” he demanded. He quickly slid his pants and boxers down and off of his legs, as he positioned his hard, dripping length at Prompto’s opening. “You should be pregnant within a couple weeks if you do as I say. Isn’t that exciting?”

Prompto whined and squirmed as he began rocking up and down.

“Yes, my boy,” the man said, smiling, “just like that. Back and forth, yes.”

The blonde was shivering from fear that this was really happening to him. He shut his eyes as he felt Keith press the tip of his cock at Prompto’s entrance. “I don’t want it...I don’t want it...I don’t want it…,” he mumbled over again, tears flowing steadily down his pale, freckled cheeks.

“But, I want it, Prompto,” he argued, using Prompto’s name for the first time. “Isn’t it about what I want right now? Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this?” Now he sounded frustrated and a little angry and it made Prompto’s heart drop to the pit of his stomach, as Keith pushed in too fast, tearing a terrible scream out of the blonde’s throat. The man continued his assault, shoving his large cock deep into the blonde as Prompto cried and screamed for him to stop.

Prompto’s desperate pleas fell on deaf ears however, as the man’s length went deeper and deeper and made the blonde feel as though he were being ripped apart. The pain rippled through his core until finally, the man stopped pushing and Prompto’s cavern pulsated and contracted, then relaxed. The man breathed out a sigh of content as his heavy cock rested within the blonde. “Now,” he breathed after a moment of silence. “I'm gonna move, so you just sit tight and look pretty, alright?”

Prompto’s eyes were shut as his body completely relaxed. He whimpered weakly, mumbling as he shook his head. “No, no, no….I don’t want it, please….I don’t want it, please, no!” He was already so exhausted from before, but now this? This man was really going to take him, violate him. This isn’t what sex is supposed to be like. This was torture.

“Oh yes, my boy, yes! Now we begin!” He sounded so eager and excited, but to Prompto, it was a sinister sound: evil and vile to the core. Prompto’s insides were then jostled again as the man moved in and out of the blonde, starting with moderately quick thrusts while he leaned in between Prompto’s legs to kiss at his neck. Prompto yelped as the man bit down at the center of his collarbone and left a mark that began pooling blood. Keith hummed before he licked it up to soothe the boy. “Good, my boy, good…,” he cooed breathlessly, praising the rhythm of Prompto’s body as he bucked and arched up, letting the man’s long cock slip even deeper. “Yes, yes, yes, good boy, Prompto....good boy…” Keith growled lowly as all of his muscles quivered, signalling his release. “Just a little longer, Prompto..I want you to say my name…”

Prompto was heavily panting, still shaking his head. “No...no...please...s-s-stop...please…,” he mumbled constantly, when suddenly, the man thrust as hard as he could into Prompto, causing the blonde to scream and pull up some of the fibers of the bedspread.

“I want you to say my name, Prompto,” he shouted, “say my name now!”

“K-Keith…,” he whimpered, as his whole body shook and maintained a faster rocking rhythm; his core shivered and contracted fast as it tightened around the man’s hardness.

“Louder!”

One more thrust and Prompto went over the edge. “KEITH!!”, he screamed as loud as his poor, exhausted voice would allow. Keith’s heavy cock spilled his semen into the blonde’s quivering opening as the man held himself inside Prompto so nothing would leak out. Keith panted heavily as he smiled down at the sobbing, shivering blonde.

“Yes...that’s good. Good boy, Prompto.”

Prompto was beyond tired. He was a sweaty, dirty, aching mess and he wished to be left alone now. Keith’s seed was inside Prompto’s exhausted body; swirling and swimming until it reached its destination deep inside his core. The blonde knew it was too late for anything else. It was done and there was nothing HE could’ve done about it.

Slowly, the man pulled out of the blonde and let Prompto’s aching legs slip back down onto the bed as he lay on the sweat-soaked bedspread. Keith got up and began putting his clothes back on when he turned his attention back to Prompto. He grinned and took a cotton blanket out of the wardrobe, shifting Prompto further into the middle of the bed before gently covering him with it. He pressed a soft kiss to Prompto’s cheek, and started for the door. “Rest well, my beautiful boy. I’ll be back soon with a friend of yours,” he chimed.

At the mention of a ‘friend’, Prompto’s weary eyes shot open as he lifted himself up on his elbows to look at his captor. “What f-friend?”, he managed hoarsely.

Keith chuckled as he scratched at his crotch. “Why, the little prince, of course! Don’t worry, there’s enough of me for him too, Prompto.”

Prompto gulped hard as the man bragged about being the one to fill Noctis with the same vile fluid he had spilled into him. Prompto’s breathing started up hard again. “W-wait, Noct is...you can’t...no, wait, p-please, Keith…,” he whispered, attempting to sit up on the bed. His heart was heavy with sorrow for his best friend. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what would happen to Noctis should this vile man get his rough, unmerciful hands on him. He didn’t know how the man would respond, but he had to beg him to try to keep Noctis safe. He didn’t wish for the same fate to befall his best friend. “Keith, p-please, for me? Don’t t-touch him, please...I couldn’t take it...please?”, he pleaded with all his heart. Keith saw the desperation in his pale blue eyes. “If you're gonna keep doing this,” he began, trying to maintain a steady tone, but his sobs tore at his throat and tears fell as he spoke. “Then just take me. I’ll...go along every time...if you just...leave Noct alone, please...I’m begging you, please don't touch him…”

Keith rubbed his chin as he pondered the blonde’s request. Then grabbing the doorknob, he turned back to Prompto and winked. “I’ll consider it a possibility...but, I know that little prince is also one of those males able to bear children.” He strode out the door, but before closing it, he peeked his head back in. “And that makes me happy.” He winked once more at Prompto, then shut and locked the door.

Prompto was left alone in the comfortable, albeit a little too warm, bedroom. He tried to breath evenly through his sobs as he reached down to feel around his abused body. His leg muscles ached so badly while his lower region slowly grew colder and went soft again. He touched at the spot on his throat where Keith had bitten him and felt a tiny knick starting to scab up. He then went to feel his hips and winced as he applied the slightest pressure to them; he feared those bruises would never leave him. His tears continued to fall as he turned on his side, curled up in the blanket and drifted away into thoughts of him and Noctis, in another place and another time: somewhere happier than here. He fell asleep somewhere in those peaceful faraway dreams, while the unforgiving howl of the storm gave him no consolation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing that last part tore my heart out. I started tearing up, literally. Prompto, you are too sweet for this...I'm sorry.
> 
> So, tell me what you think so far. I'd love to know your thoughts.
> 
> Much love to you and to Prompto :)


	3. Two For One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is up now. It was a little difficult trying to figure out how to start it, but it finally came to me!
> 
> So, without further ado...
> 
> Enjoy

He didn’t know how long he had been sleeping, but as soon as he tried to move under the blanket, that was when he felt just how sore his body was. Every part ached and screamed for him to lie back down. But Prompto pushed through it as best he could, wincing and whimpering, coming to stand on his feet. He was glad that the room was as warm as it was, because his naked body was so bruised and achy that any chill would have made the whole situation worse. Even taking his first step was painful, as he stumbled forward to catch himself, gasping. His entire private region was throbbing and stinging from the recent abuse it had suffered. He was walking funny, limping with his legs apart, as he shuffled his way over to his discarded clothes in front of the wardrobe.

He had to stop for a moment as he lowered his head and rested his hands on his knees. “Ok…that hurts...” he breathed, “but, c’mon, Prompto, let’s keep it goin’.” He tried giving himself some pep-talk, before he paused and glanced up at the wardrobe. “He’s gotta have some warm winter stuff in there,” he decided, excitedly. “Even if it doesn’t fit me.” He would be right about that: Keith was a big, tall, burly man, standing several inches over Prompto. But if he could just survive the storm long enough to get back to Noctis and the others, that’s all that mattered.

But the wardrobe had a lock on it. “Shit,” Prompto muttered. “He probably has the key too.” That was when he remembered that the door to this very room was locked as well; Keith made sure of that before he left. Wait. Before he left...where the hell was he? Prompto didn’t even where he was! Even if he did make it out of here, where would he go next? How would he find his way back to his friends? He sighed in frustration as he turned back around and saw the nightstand beside the bed. There was a drawer. “Maybe there’s a key in there?” He had to hope on something as he limped his way back over to the bed when he caught sight of the dried fluid on the disheveled bedspread.

It grossed him out. That was his fluid mixed with Keith’s own and it made his stomach flip. He gagged, leaning over the bed as he tried to catch his breath. “We really did that…,” he whispered hoarsely; his gagging becoming dry heaving. “I could be...oh gods…” He started playing the whole thing again in his head while he weakly climbed back onto the bed and just lay there. He began to cry again through the gagging as he pulled the heavy cotton blanket back over his shivering, disheartened, naked self.

The tears kept falling as Prompto’s achy body shivered from anticipation. What would happen when Keith came back? What would he do? Then he recalled Keith’s words to him as he walked out the door.

‘“I’ll be back with a friend of yours!”’

‘A friend?’, Prompto wondered, when he remembered Keith had mentioned Noctis. The realisation hit him that that was the reason Keith left in the first place, because Noctis was one of those males too. Just like Prompto. And Keith was going back just for him.

What the hell was this guy’s problem? What did he want? Why was he doing this to them?! Just because Prompto had begged Keith not to touch Noctis, didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do it anyway. All Prompto could do was hope that Keith wouldn’t be the same savage with Noctis as he had been with him. But it’s not like Noctis couldn’t defend himself. He was fully capable of fighting back, and after finding out what Keith had done to his best friend, Prompto was sure Noctis would flat out try to kill the bastard.

That made Prompto laugh a little. He snickered through his sobs as his heart was lifted by the thought of Noctis putting an end to that monster. He was then able to fall back to sleep again.

“Get him back for me, Noct,” he whispered hopefully. “Please, buddy. Don’t let him come back.”

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

 

The blizzard howled and screeched all through the night as the three friends slept without a stir. The only light in the shop that remained was a small chocobo-shaped table lamp sitting on the checkout counter. Gladio’s thunderous snoring filled his and Ignis’s room and had the advisor tossing and turning; he had always been a very light sleeper, but not light enough for the younger members of the group.

Alone in the second room, the prince was locked in deep slumber, softly humming with each exhale. He hadn’t awoken once since they had gone to bed and therefore was totally unaware of what was happening to Prompto. His dreams were so pleasant. While in the middle of one such dream of himself being 17 again, playing video games during a school day, he felt something large and hot holding his shoulder. The dream faded out and he stirred a little as he shifted to lay on his other side facing the wall. “Ungh, no, Prompto, I don’t care if you think the roof is gonna fall down on us,” he mumbled, still half asleep. “We’re not sharing a bed.” The hand gripped harder making the prince grimace as he slowly opened his eyes. He groaned as he turned onto his back. “Prompto, I said-” His sapphire eyes shot open as he saw the person looming over him in the dark was definitely NOT Prompto.

“I heard what you said, pretty boy,” the man answered lowly as he leaned down and gripped Noctis’s shoulder even tighter. “But I hope you’ll let ME share a bed with you.”

Noctis freaked as he tried to back away from the man, scooting as far up the headboard as he could when the man pounced on the bed and moved quickly to stop him. Noctis gasped and kicked at the man’s face, hitting him in the chin as the prince made a move to roll off the bed. The man flinched back for a second before he growled and charged for Noctis, grabbing him by the waist and pulling him back towards the wall.

“Gla-!” He tried to shout for help, but the man’s giant hand came up and forcefully covered his mouth. The man chuckled lowly into Noctis’s ear as the prince continued to struggle against his strong arms.

“Well, aren’t you a feisty one? Take after your father, don’t you, little prince?”

Noctis heard that deep voice and knew instantly who it was. It only made him struggle harder as he tried to pry Keith’s hand off his mouth with one hand and push the man’s arm off his waist with the other.

“You know, you were sleeping so adorably, I should’ve left you and had my way with you while you were making those beautiful little noises.” He pulled Noctis’s head to the side so he could talk to his face; the man’s brown eyes flashed a menacing glare. “But I already promised a friend of yours that I wouldn’t touch you just yet, pretty boy.” He nodded over at the other bed that had been empty for a few hours now. The prince glanced over and saw Prompto wasn’t there.

Noctis's heart dropped. Was the ‘friend’ he was talking about, Prompto? Of course, it had to be. Noctis flailed in vain in the man’s brawny arms as he pushed and pushed against his grip. Keith chuckled quietly. “Now, why don’t we go see your friend, huh? He must be very lonely without me.”

Noctis turned his head just enough so he could glare at the man with a fire raging in his sapphire eyes. He was struggling so hard that he was soon breathing heavily and using his nails to scratch at the man’s arms. Suddenly, the hand around his waist left and he tried desperately to get off the bed when the man’s hand moved from his mouth to his neck, grasping it with such force that Noctis felt like his windpipe would be crushed. The prince gasped hard.

Keith’s hot breath drifted over Noctis’s ear and down his cheek as he spoke. “If you want to see him again, you won’t do this, Noctis,” he growled as the prince pulled at the powerful hand around his throat.

Barely able to breath, Noctis tried yelling again. “Ig...nis...Glahh-,” was all he could get out before Keith tightened his hold on the prince’s poor neck again. His vision was becoming blurry and it was getting harder to speak or breathe until he finally passed out and fell limply into Keith’s chest.

Keith released his grip on the prince’s neck and smiled down him. “So beautiful,” he mused as he brushed his hand into Noctis’s soft, raven locks. “Let’s get you to the cabin now.” He took some rope out from his trouser pocket and used it to bind Noctis’s hands together and his arms to his sides. Then he brought out a blue scarf to tie around his mouth, like he did with Prompto. When he was finished, he sat there for a minute, holding Noctis close to his chest while gently rocking back and forth. “My beautiful, little Prince Noctis...if you are adamant about fighting against me, I will make you regret it.” He reached down to ghost his fingers over the prince’s length. “Oh, I will make you regret it. It would be in your best interest to act as demurely as possible. You seem like you could learn a thing or two from Prompto.”

In no time at all, Keith was back out in the blistering cold, trudging through the thick, heavy mounds of snow with the unconscious prince in his arms; freezing gusts of wind whizzing around his ears. Carefully, he made his way safely back to his cabin in the middle of the woods where Prompto was awaiting them both; the man’s footprints buried beneath the relentless snowdrifts as his track was no longer visible.

His cabin looked just as he had left it, regardless of the extra foot of snow near the door. As he came close to it, he felt the prince squirm in his grip and looked down to see that he was almost fully awake. Keith raced for the door and kicked it open, stomping inside while Noctis began to struggle once more. The man placed the prince on the hardwood floor before leaning out the door to pick up a handful of snow.

Noctis was fidgeting with his bound hands as he arched back, trying to push himself against something firm for leverage. Keith saw the struggling prince and slammed the door shut before strutting over to Noctis and pushing his back to the floor with his slushy boot. Noctis’s chest was aching as Keith stepped harder onto the prince, who attempted to lift the man’s large foot off of him with his bound hands. “Noctis, my boy, why do you insist on doing this?” He laughed at Noctis’s pathetic attempts before he moved behind the prince, helping him up and pushing him up against the wall. Noctis’s grunting was exhausting as he was getting tired again from all the relentless struggling.

Keith then undid the tie of the scarf and let it fall from Noctis’s mouth, earning a loud gasp from the exhausted prince as he tried to catch his breath. “Where’s Prompto?!”, he yelled, as Keith continued pushing him into the wall, reaching up to cup Noctis’s chin.

“You’re so demanding. We need to remedy that immediately, Noctis.” He slid his hand from Noctis’s chin, trailing down his neck and caressing his shoulder. Noctis shivered at the motion and kicked back at the man, narrowly missing his arousal. Keith growled into the prince’s ear. “Oh, Noctis, I’ll tell you, I don’t think I can keep my promise to Prompto. You need to be subdued before you hurt something precious.” The man chuckled as he pressed a kiss to the nape of Noctis’s neck and rubbed his hardened cock against the prince’s buttocks through his trousers. Noctis groaned and stood on his tiptoes.

“Get off me, you son of a bitch,” he hissed; his voice raspy.

“Mmm...no, my boy. You should welcome my hands. I want to hear more of your voice, you beautiful creature..” Keith pulled back the collar of Noctis’s shirt and dropped the handful of snow down his back, making Noctis gasp as he shoved his muscular torso flush against him. “You can scream, Noctis. It’s alright, no one can hear you out here,” he huskily breathed into Noctis’s hair.

“I s-said get off me,” Noctis uttered as his breath hitched. His breathing became faster as Keith brushed his hardened length up and underneath Noctis this time, getting the prince to mewl.

“Ahhhh,” he sighed, finally satisfied by a helpless cry from Noctis. “Yes, my boy, there it is. I was waiting for that…” He carefully reached down to grasp Noctis’s hardening cock, kneading it with his hot palm as the prince moaned and threw his head back.

Noctis squirmed weakly as Keith’s heavy breathing made him feel warm and loose inside, his juices flowing between his legs. Keith felt the fluid wet the prince’s trousers as he kneaded, grinning. “Oh, Noctis, you are too much, my boy. Why don’t we take this to one of my bedrooms?”

Noctis groaned as the man tightened his grip on his length. “No...Get. Off. Me. Now.” He turned his head to the side, peering icily at the man. “I’ll kill you, you bastard,” he threatened, but it was a weak threat as he moaned rather loudly at Keith pressing his tip against the middle of Noctis’s private parts.

“Shhhh...Noctis, there’s no need for killing, sweet prince. Listen to your body. It wants more of me, there's no denying it. Nor depriving it of what it’s supposed to do. I want to make you pregnant, Noctis. Your body is waiting for it.” He softly kissed Noctis’s nape again. “And I can’t wait to give it to you.” Noctis groaned and squirmed in desperation as the man pulled him along the hallway.

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

It must have been two hours? Three? He didn't know and really didn’t care. Prompto had been awake for a while, feeling groggy and worn out when he heard a door slam. “Keith..”, he uttered under his breath. He started shaking again. He wanted to disappear, leave, do something to get away from this sickening monster. He knew he couldn’t escape from the room, and he knew hiding was impossible, so he sat there twiddling his thumbs and waiting for the inevitable as he listened for the sound of heavy footsteps. But the sound he heard was not footsteps, it was a voice, but not Keith’s voice. Whoever the person was, they sounded like they were in distress, trouble, pain or maybe all three.

Then he heard the voice loud and clear this time as the moan echoed through the entire cabin. Prompto’s heart sank and tears filled his eyes when he realised that voice...that terrified, desperate moan that filled the air, was Noctis. Prompto jumped up from the bed, as naked as he was before, and ran to the door, leaning against it with side of his head.

Then as Noctis’s voice got closer and closer coming down the hall, Prompto’s tears fell faster and faster. He slid down against the door, hugging himself. “Noct, no. Keith...you said you’d…” He put his hand over his eyes. “Damn you, Keith.” As he cried, he heard Keith talking near the door as Noctis moaned again and grunted as he struggled. That was when something snapped inside Prompto. He wasn’t going to let this happen to Noctis, he wasn’t. He wouldn’t have it.

“Keith!”, the blonde yelled, pounding on the locked door. “Get away from him or I’ll...I’ll kill you!” He was so afraid, but he tried his best to sound terrifying and in control just so the monster would leave Noctis alone.

Noctis perked his head up. “Prompto? Where are you?!”

Prompto smiled at the calming sound of his friend’s voice as more tears fell. “I’m here, Noct. I’m in here,” he answered, tapping on the door.

Keith reached down and squeezed Noctis’s buttcheek hard, making the prince yelp. “Yes, my beautiful Noctis, my other precious boy is just on the other side. Do you want to see what I’ve done for him?”

Prompto stood up again. “Keith,” he called through the door. “Please, leave him alone. I’m in here, take me again instead.”

Noctis heard every word and was scared for Prompto when he heard him say ‘again’. ‘Again? What does he mean? Has this bastard already…?’ He couldn't finish the thought as Prompto continued.

“Since I’m gonna be...pregnant, isn’t this about what I want right now?” Noctis could tell his friend was crying by the whimper in his voice and his reluctance to slow his words. “Please, Keith..I’m begging you to leave Noct alone..”

Noctis fought back tears himself as he knew now that Prompto was indeed violated by this man. And he could, indeed, be with child. Anger burned within Noctis’s hurting heart as his friend offered his own body to be violated again by this disgusting bastard, but he knew why he did this. And Noctis was forever grateful to Prompto, but he couldn’t let his blonde friend do this. He had to say something. “Prompto..?”

It was silent for one second. “Yeah.., Noct?”

Noctis considered the situation and pondered the exact words he wanted to say. “You...I mean, I...I can’t let you-”

“Noct. You can, and you will.”

“But, Prompto-”, he protested.

“Noct, it’s okay. I’ll...be fine. I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> True brotherly sacrifice that is, huh? Real love right there.
> 
> Keith is a real monstrous bastard, isn't he?
> 
> I wonder where I'll go next with this...
> 
> Thanks for reading! Let me know how you like it!
> 
> Much love to you, Noctis, and Prompto<3


	4. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, update #4. Sometimes I wonder why I write this stuff, y'know?
> 
> I'm sorry for this. Really and truly, I'm sorry, Noctis and Prompto!
> 
> Here it is.

“Three times in one night, my boy. Mm-mm, you’re bound to be expecting soon.”

Prompto was speechless and motionless as he lay beneath Keith, his pale blue eyes spoke volumes of just how he felt: violated, abused, confused, exhausted; his pain was intense as his body shuddered and slowly came down from its euphoric high. Pulling away from the blonde, Keith smiled down at him and gently caressed Prompto’s bruised hip, making him whimper. “Keith…..p-please, stop…..,” he pleaded weakly, using his hands to try to push the man’s rough, calloused hand away from his dark bruise.

But Keith only chuckled as he moved up to brush wet, blonde hair out of Prompto’s sweaty face. “My boy, my beautiful boy. You know I can’t stop when you’re lying here below me, all wet and vulnerable like this.”

Prompto bit his lip to stifle his sobs, wanting so bad just to burst into tears and cry his eyes out. He was hurting so much but he didn’t want to show Keith any more emotion, for fear that he might start to cuddle with him again. “P-please, Keith...I’m so tired...I wanna go to sleep...please?” His tears slowly rolled down his cheeks, as he carefully scooted himself up the side of the bed away from the man.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, if that’s really what you want, Prompto. I’ll just go visit the little prince while you sleep.”

Prompto was trying his hardest to stay awake and level-headed now, but it was very difficult. His body was crying out for rest, but whenever Noctis’s name rolled off Keith's vile tongue, the young blonde couldn’t ignore it. “No!”, Prompto gasped, lifting himself on his shaky elbows. “You can’t possibly want to do this again! A-aren’t you tired?”

Keith winked at him; his brown eyes flashing viciously. “Nope, and I hope the two of you don’t get tired of it either. It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

Beautiful? What was beautiful about being kidnapped, tortured and violated by some sadistic monster way out in the middle of nowhere? Prompto was sure he was going to throw up again if he didn’t try to change the subject. “Keith? Can’t I at least wash up before…” He really didn’t want to finish this sentence. “We do it a-again?”

Keith sighed and reluctantly nodded as he moved off of Prompto and walked back toward the door where his clothes were laying. “Yeah, go ahead. Shower’s just in there.” He pointed to the adjoining bathroom. “But when you come out, well,” he paused, motioning to his pants. “There won’t be any warm clothes laid out for you.” He snickered and left the room.

Every muscle in his body was sore and achy as he struggled to get up and off the bed. Prompto groaned weakly as his feet made contact with the hardwood floor again. Probably for the first time in hours or days...he literally had no clue what time it was. He agonizingly padded his way over to the bathroom, silently praying for Noctis to be left alone.

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Noctis sat up in his temporary bed spread out on the floor with a terrible crick in his neck, and a kink in his back. He hadn’t slept very long, maybe 2 hours at the most. But that was only because he felt anxious and worried about Prompto, who had been at the mercy of that disgusting bastard all night. The prince was horrified at the way he was touched some hours ago; touched in places no one had ever touched him and he was furious. A little scared too, he would admit. He wondered what it was like for Prompto to have actually been violated by that monster. Noctis couldn’t even imagine.

Keith had whispered in Noctis’s ear something about making him pregnant, and then Prompto mentioned it again. Rage burned inside the prince as he attempted to stand. ‘Bastard...you’ll pay for what you’ve done to Prompto...I swear it…’ He fell back on the bed, hurt and frustrated. The ropes on his hands and arms made it nearly impossible to stand up from the mattress on the floor. He muttered curses as he tried over and over again.

After what must have been countless hours of trying to stand on his feet, the prince heard someone walking down the hallway, humming. He guessed it must have been Keith, who had finally come out of Prompto’s room. One of the other reasons Noctis couldn’t sleep was the endless moaning, groaning and creaking of the bed in the room across from his. He had indeed heard Prompto’s whimpers and yells as Keith did whatever the hell he wanted with the blonde.

All night, as he inadvertently listened to those disturbing sounds, he had struggled with his bound hands and arms, trying in vain to somehow get them to come loose. But it didn’t work. He had even tried summoning a dagger to help cut the ropes, but that too failed as he couldn’t grip the weapon that kept fading in and out of his hand. 'What’s the point of having powerful magic, when you can’t even use it when you need it?!' In defeat, Noctis lay there on the bed, out of breath and tired of trying to break free, when he heard a knock on the door.

“Noctis, I hope you slept well. Prompto and I sure did!” Keith’s tone was sickeningly way too pleased.

'No thanks to you, you bastard!', Noctis wanted to shout. But instead, maintained his cool and spoke calmly. “I want to see Prompto.”

Keith laughed. “My boy, why? He’s fine! I’m letting him get cleaned up. Why would you want to disturb him?” He opened the door which made Noctis flinch and his heart start to beat faster. The man’s brown eyes worked Noctis over, and he was smiling as they did so. “Ah, look at you. You’re all tired and sweaty, and that makes you irresistible to me, my pretty prince.”

Noctis scowled. “You’re sick. I want to see Prompto and you’ll take me.”

Keith smiled wickedly at him, shutting the door and locking it then strutting right up to the edge of the mattress. “Yeah, I will take you eventually. But right now, Noctis? Is your body craving male companionship that badly?”

“No, that’s not what-” Noctis’s blue eyes went wide as Keith kneeled down on the mattress, resting his hands on Noctis’s calves. The prince gasped. ‘Shit! I shouldn’t have said anything!’ Then Keith’s hands travelled further up his legs, applying some grip to his thighs as Noctis slowly leaned back against the pillow while the man got closer to his face; his body shivering at the man’s touch.

“Don’t kick me again, or I’ll make you regret it,” the man said as his eyes flashed. His rough hands went further up the prince to his belly, when he ever so slightly squeezed. “You’re so cute when you scowl, little prince.” Keith hummed as he moved one hand down to the prince’s middle of his pants, and grasped Noctis’s cock. Hard.

Noctis yelped in pain, throwing his head back as he kicked at the man, hitting him in the stomach. “Ah-! STOP! Get the hell away from me!” He continued to kick before Keith grunted and shoved Noctis’s shoulders to the ground in anger.

“You…,” Keith growled venomously, “are going to pay for that.” He hissed before picking up the prince and flipping him onto his stomach, quickly undoing his belt. “I’ll take you now, naughty boy. I told you that you would regret it if you kicked me. You give me no choice but to seed you right here and now.”

Noctis cried out as he was whipped onto his stomach, his back making all kinds of cracking noises. He hissed as Keith held his back firmly in place to remove the prince’s trousers. “Get...off…,” Noctis demanded, but his voice was muffled by pillows as his face was buried down into the bed.

“Take off this damn jacket,” Keith barked, pulling a knife out of his pants and cutting the rope around Noctis’s arms, letting it fall on the bed. Then he yanked the prince back up on his knees, making Noctis gasp for air as he ripped his jacket off. “Shit. Then we’ve got your hands too, don’t we? Forget it. As long as you're naked on the bottom, nothing else matters. Maybe some other time.”

He pushed Noctis back down forcefully on his stomach as he slid the prince’s boxers off, revealing everything pink and wet to the man as he licked his lips. “My boy, this is all so fun, don’t you think?” He leaned over Noctis’s aching back as he whispered to him, the prince groaning as all of the man’s weight fell on him. “It’s only just beginning, sweet Noctis. Soon, you’ll be pregnant with my child.” Even though Noctis couldn’t see his face, he knew that Keith was grinning viciously as he took in the prince’s vulnerable nakedness. “Such beautiful roundness…,” he cooed, sliding one calloused hand down one of Noctis’s pale bottom cheeks and lightly spanking it, getting Noctis to whine.

“Stop touching me, you insane bastard,” Noctis murmured. His body was responding to every little caress from this monster and he couldn’t stop it as his breaths quickened. This was so wrong and disgusting, and Noctis couldn’t believe he was subject to this cruel thing.

“No need for that kind of language, pretty boy,” he said, yanking the prince’s head back so he could see his face. “Just be patient with me.” He slid off his own trousers and boxers as he held tight to Noctis’s hair. “I don’t think you deserve the pleasure from foreplay for kicking me, so I think we’ll just skip to the main event.” He pressed his tip against Noctis’s rear opening, earning a yelp from the prince. Slowly, he released the prince’s raven hair and slammed him forward into the mattress again. “How lucky for me that you two are both virgins. I can tell because you’re so tight, Noctis. Let’s start back here, shall we?”

He forced his large cock into the prince’s bottom, getting Noctis to scream and writhe at the sharp pain that rippled through his rear. Keith grunted at his own pain from Noctis moving so much, pressing down even harder on the prince’s back. “Don’t move, you’ll make it worse,” he demanded as blood already began trickling down Noctis’s thighs.

Noctis’s screams filled the cabin and Prompto heard them over the flow of the hot shower. “Noct?! No...Keith, you bastard!”, the blonde shouted through a sob in his throat. He knew there was no way out of this room as he let the water pour over his poor achy and bruised body, tears falling in rhythm with the water. “Why? Why did you have to touch him, you son of a bitch…?” He knew there was no way to help Noctis.

Soon, Keith was inside of Noctis’s hot bottom and quite pleased with how he got there. “I’ll move now, Noctis. Since you’re new to this, I’ll tell you to roll your hips with mine. We’ll rock together, isn’t that precious?” Noctis panted desperately on his knees as his rear was sore, bleeding and in terrible pain, leaving him no relief.

“Out...out…” Those were the only words Noctis could hoarsely get out of his mouth while his bottom opening burned from Keith’s rough entrance.

“Not until I’m finished,” the man replied harshly. He reached around to grasp Noctis’s quivering cock, already dripping with fluid. Noctis cried out weakly as Keith both stroked his length and began thrusting in and out of his bottom. “I won’t stop till I’m finished, my pretty prince,” he repeated.

Noctis’s cries turned to whimpers as his release came close. Keith laid his head on Noctis’s shoulder, hushing him as he continued his assault on his pulsating cock and his abused bottom. The man’s hand had some of Noctis’s juice on his knuckles already as he brought them up to caress Noctis’s tear-streaked cheek. “Stroke yourself for me, Noctis,” he hushed into the prince’s ear.

Noctis grabbed his hardened cock with shaky hands and began sliding up and down his shaft, moaning as he worked himself. “I...hate...you...I hate...you…”, he mumbled feebly while breathless. His body shivered as he came on his own hands, moaning while Keith thrusted a few more times before pulling out. The prince’s legs were beginning to numb.

Keith sighed heavily as his breath hitched from denying his own release. “You don’t hate me, Noctis. You’ll learn to love me!” Before Noctis could fully catch his breath from his release, Keith thrust himself fast and hard into Noctis’s middle opening: pink, thumping and wet. Noctis mewled as he arched back and fell on his chest into the mattress, whimpering and squirming against Keith’s heavy body pressing onto his back, the man wrapping his arms snugly around the prince’s belly, pulling his crotch flush against Noctis’s rear. “Yes, Noctis, receive my seed. Conceive for me!”

His cock was heavy and full as he thrust in and out of Noctis’s slick pinkness. Noctis moaned weakly, throwing his head back and shutting his eyes as he felt his core start to squeeze around Keith’s heavy shaft. The man thrust faster and faster until he had Noctis howling in his arms, pressing a kiss to the prince’s tailbone.

Keith groaned loud and long as his seed spilled inside of the prince, holding himself tightly between Noctis’s shaky legs as he let his seed flow through him. “Ahhhhhh, Noctis, yes!! Yes!!” Noctis’s orgasm came shortly after the man’s seed slipped inside; he howled hoarsely until his body shuddered, coming down from its high.

That was when Keith intentionally gripped Noctis’s stomach until he heard some cracks under his arms, earning a pained scream from the prince as he broke some of his ribs. The man smirked. “I told you you’d regret it, Noctis,” he panted venomously. Noctis exhaustedly tried to buck Keith off of his back as sharp, burning pain shot up both sides of his torso. Keith laughed. “No no no, Noctis. I’m staying right here. I’m gonna sleep with you.” He still hadn’t pulled his heavy cock out of the prince as he fell over on his side onto the mattress, taking Noctis with him as the prince yelped and winced in pain before finally falling to sleep, unwilling to be trapped in this disgusting monster’s merciless grip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness...what have I done to our poor prince...? Keith is gonna have it when Iggy and Gladdy find the two bros...if they ever do find them...
> 
> Fingers crossed!
> 
> More to come, and thanks for reading!
> 
> Much love♡


	5. Restless Resolve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These boys are the most precious in the world...they've stolen my heart.
> 
> Chapter 5 is a little lighter now. Plus, Iggy and Gladdy!
> 
> Enjoy.

A fitful dream woke Ignis to the sound of the blizzard still howling overhead. He rubbed his bleary eyes and glanced out the ice-glazed window. He saw nothing but white outside as he reached for his glasses on the bedside table.

He looked over at the other bed and saw that the prince’s shield was just beginning to wake up himself, stretching his bulky arms above his mess of a bedhead. He groaned deeply before sitting up still immersed in the heavy blankets. “Mornin’, Iggy. Guess we should get the little boys up now, huh? Get goin’?”

Ignis nodded, wiping his lens with the fabric of his shirt. “Yes, but I’m afraid we’re still not leaving until this storm dissipates. It’s far too dangerous trying to traverse in this kind of weather.”

“I agree with you there, Iggy,” Gladio mumbled, hauling his large body out of his cocoon and into the bathroom. “Be out in a minute. Unless you want me to wake up Sleeping Beauty and the blonde purloiner?”

“That won’t be necessary. I‘ll take care of it,” the advisor responded with an obvious smirk.

“Alright.” Gladio disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Ignis made sure to clean up his side of the room before he walked out into the hallway, a smile replacing his smirk as he turned toward the other boys’ room. “Noct, Prompto. It’s morning, you two.” Upon entering the bedroom though, he found the beds all askew and most importantly, empty.

Ignis internally flipped when there seemed to be no sign of the prince or the blonde. He quickly glanced around, trying to find something resembling a clue as to where they were, when he felt that strange hint of danger in the pit of his stomach.

The same feeling he experienced when he had witnessed Keith talking with the younger boys just the night before.

He made a run toward the shop part of the house frantically pacing himself, telling himself to remain calm when he saw Keith coming in the front doors, covered in snow from his wool hat to his dark, leather boots.

“Quite a storm, huh? I tell you, I can’t even imagine what those boys were thinkin’ when they left this morning,” he told the advisor as he rubbed his hands together through his gloves, trying to generate some heat. “Couple of my chocobos are missing from their corrals.”

“Left? W-when did they leave?” Ignis was downright panicky now as the thought of Noctis and Prompto alone in the cold somewhere, freezing to death wouldn’t leave his mind. “Keith, please. Did you know they were leaving? Did they take the chocobos? Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Keith raised his hands in defense at Ignis’s rapid fire questioning. “Whoa, whoa...slow down. I was just out looking for ‘em. Been looking since 4 in the morning. Ain't seen a sight of ‘em.”

Ignis’s green eyes flickered from shock to disbelief as he heard this news. “4...in the morning?” He looked at the chocobo ‘kweh kweh’ clock above the mantle that read 10:43.

“Good gods…,” Ignis murmured as he slouched over the checkout counter, running a hand through his dirty blonde hair. “They left? I can’t fathom that. I just...why would Noctis and Prompto leave in the middle of the night without a word, and stride into a howling blizzard?!”

Keith shrugged his shoulders, unwrapping a scarf from his hot neck. “Dunno, Ignis. Probably had a wanting to ride the chocobos again,” he suggested, walking over to the distraught advisor. He attempted to keep a straight face in the event Ignis might catch on to his knowledge of the boys’ true fate.

The advisor shook his head. “I don't understand. Why would they leave?” He was mumbling more to himself than he was talking to Keith.

Keith glanced around the shop, hands on his hips. “So, where’s your burly friend?” His tone sounded somewhat defensive in his question, but it went unnoticed by Ignis, who was lost in his thoughts.

Ignis turned toward the man with a desperate look. “Keith, you said you’ve been looking for them? What did you find? Tell me everything.”

Keith sighed and turned his palms up. “Nothing doing, Ignis. Damn storm has covered everything up so well, there wouldn’t be a trace of anything with feet. Not even chocobos,” he stated plainly.

Ignis pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as devastation and hopelessness hit home. “Dear gods...how could I have been so careless? I should have slept in their room. Kept an eye on them as they slept.”

Keith covered up his chuckle with a cough. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Ignis. They’re kids. They do stupid things sometimes.”

Ignis shot him a look. “But they do know better than you suggest. And waltzing out into a blizzard would be the last thing on their minds.”

“Iggy, the boys aren’t back there. Where are they?”

Ignis and Keith both turned to a freshly-showered Gladio, whose voice was equally laced with concern for the prince and his friend. The shield regarded Keith with a wave as he made for Ignis’s side. “Iggy? Where are they?”

Ignis didn’t have the courage to look up into his friend’s face. “I don’t know, Gladio. I don’t know where they are.”

Gladio’s amber eyes went wide. “What do you mean, you ‘don’t know where they are’?”

Ignis only shook his head.

Gladio looked to Keith, who shrugged and left to pour himself a cup of hot coffee. “Keith? You know where they are?” He couldn’t contain the frustration rising in his voice when even Ignis didn’t know the answer.

Keith merely mumbled a “nope” before resuming to fixing his coffee.

Gladio sighed as he turned to see Ignis still slumped over the counter, his head buried in his gloved hands. The older man came up behind the advisor, softly patting his back. He glanced out the window as the storm kept raging in the white mess of snow and ice. “Iggy,” the shield spoke sadly, fearing the worst. “They’re not...out there, are they?”

“I failed. How could I have lost them…,” Ignis whispered incoherently.

Gladio’s lips tightened into a determined line. “Iggy, I’m going to look for them. I don’t care if I freeze to death doing it, I'm gonna find them.”

Ignis lifted his head to meet Gladio’s eyes, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Gladio, are you sure about this? What if you get lost as well? Then what will become of all three of you?!”

Gladio patted his friend's shoulder in affirmation. “Iggy, I’ll be fine. I’m a lot tougher in the elements than those two, not to mention I’ve got a lot more meat on my bones to keep me warm.” His confident amber gaze reassured Ignis that he was serious about braving this storm for Noctis and Prompto’s sakes.

When it came to Gladio’s determined resolve, there was no way Ignis could argue against it. And vice versa.

Ignis lowered his head and sighed. “Gladio, if you can’t find them, and you're at the cusp of death yourself, don’t- I repeat, do not-” he paused, boring his green eyes into Gladio’s head, making sure the older man understood his instructions. “Do not risk your life for any other thing, but come straight back. I will not tolerate losing the King’s Shield as well. Do I have your word?”

Gladio chuckled a little, but nodded sincerely. “Yeah. I promise, Igs. I’ll bring ‘em back, you’ll see.”

“I will never forgive you if you don’t,” Ignis warned him.

Gladio gave the advisor a stern thumbs up before heading back toward their shared room to prepare for the cold.

Keith overheard the entire conversation while sipping his coffee, a vicious smile playing on his lips.

Ignis turned toward Keith with a suspicious frown. The man was leisurely sitting by the fireplace, sipping his coffee contentedly as if nothing in the world was going on. “Keith?”

“Hm?” He didn't bother to look over at the advisor.

“Might I ask why you don’t seemed concerned for Noctis and Prompto?” 

He usually wasn’t this forward with emotional subjects, but this was important. That strange feeling nudged him in the side again, and he wondered fiercely about it. Perhaps Keith was connected to their disappearance? It would explain his lack of concern. “You seem rather distant.”

Keith drummed his fingers on his cup of coffee. “You don’t ‘seem’ to understand,” he replied a bit forcefully. “I have been out looking for them since 4a.m. I’m a tired man. I need to rest before going out into that freezing hell again.”

Ignis stepped back without another word, pondering his next move. Should he say anything more? Or keep it to himself? Tell Gladio?

“Not yet,” he decided. “Not just yet.” But he would watch the man like a hawk on vulnerable prey.

 

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Noctis groaned and tried to roll over as he felt hands on his body again in his sleep. Dear gods, he didn’t need this anymore. He was so sore and in so much pain from his horrifying experience that his mind was bordering between anger and hate, and worry and fear.

He hated his body for responding to that bastard’s touches and caresses as he forced himself upon the prince, giving him that pleasurable release and unexplainable euphoria.

But it wasn’t pleasure at all. It was torture, and it only got worse when Keith became rough with him in all of his secret places, going so far to cause him to bleed. As he moved to turn onto his side, he yelped as he felt his broken ribs grind up against his inside wall. Hissing, he remained lying on his back.

Then, those hands approached his broken, burning sides again. His breaths quickened as he tried to push them away, when he realized that the hands lightly touching his sides weren’t the same hands that broke them. He dared to open his eyes. 

The face he saw was not the one he was expecting to see, but rather it was that familiar, soft freckled face and those gentle, bright blue eyes that seemed to always find a reason to smile.

Noctis’s blues met the blonde’s and relief washed over him as he finally saw the person he had been wanting to see for gods know how long.

“Noct,” Prompto whispered, sitting back on his heels as he studied the prince’s face. “I’m so glad you're okay…” He softly smiled, tilting his head to the side. But then his smile vanished when he remembered Noctis had been clutching his sides as he slept. His eyes widened. “Wait... are you okay, Noct?! Did he hurt you? What did he do to you? Oh, please tell me, Noct…”

Noctis tiredly looked into Prompto’s sad eyes and winced as he attempted to sit up in the bed. “Gods, Prompto…,” he said, breaking into tears. He fought through his pain in his broken ribs as he gathered his blonde friend in a tight hug. Well, as tight as he could manage because he was sore and exhausted as hell.

Prompto tearfully held Noctis as close as he could, almost fearing that he would disappear if he let go again. “Noct,” he sobbed, “please tell me what he did to you. I heard your screams and I...I was so afraid you were...oh gods, Noct. Please tell me.”

Noctis pulled back just a little so he could see Prompto in front of him. He looked terrible. Various bruises cluttered his face, his lips were swollen and cracked and looked like they were bleeding not too long ago. Then Noctis caught sight of the blood-crusted hickie on Prompto’s collar bone.

“Holy shit… Who the hell is this bastard and why is he doing this?!”, Noctis wondered angrily.

Luckily for Prompto, he made sure to intentionally wrap himself up in a blanket when Noctis awoke so his friend wouldn’t worry about him so much, seeing all of the horrid marks on his naked body.

The blonde was more concerned about Noctis. At least Keith wasn’t as rough with Prompto as he had been with Noctis. And yes, Prompto could definitely tell.

“Noct?”, Prompto asked again. “Tell me?”

Noctis winced as his pain flared up while in Prompto’s arms. This made Prompto jerk his hands away from the prince, as he struggled with breathing through the burning. “Prompto...the bastard broke my ribs,” he gasped out.

Prompto placed his hands over Noctis’s sides, feeling the crumbled mess of bones inside. “I’m so sorry, Noct. I wish I could’ve done something… something to make him not touch you… I tried so hard…”

Noctis gazed back into his blonde friend’s sad blue eyes when he saw more than just tears in them. He saw just how much Prompto was hurting for him, not for himself. He didn’t know it, but Prompto’s heart broke the first time he heard Noctis’s desperate screams.

Noctis frowned and sighed then as he spoke about what had happened. “He raped me, Prompto. That sick son of a bitch raped me and you.” 

“I know, Noct. I know.”

Noctis told him everything. The way he entered him in the back, in the middle and how the man had forced him to stroke his own length as he thrust in mercilessly and senselessly. Noctis cringed as he explained exactly what the man did to him, anger and fear rising in his heart once more.

Prompto sat still, cross-legged on the bed as he listened to every word on Noctis’s lips. Tears were in his eyes, but they hadn’t fallen yet. He couldn’t let Noctis see just how physically and emotionally he was hurt. Not now. Not when his best friend was in so much more pain than he.

After Noctis was done talking, the two friends just sat in silence. Then, under the covers, Noctis realized he was now completely naked. Naked, but clean. He had hoped to the gods above that that bastard hadn’t cleaned him up.

Sitting at the prince’s feet, Prompto kept his head down. “He, um…,” he began after long moments of quiet. “He asked me to clean you up.” He still hadn’t lifted his head. “He said it would be your turn again if you weren’t cleaned up well enough…and if I did a good job, he'd let me share a room with you...”

Noctis only stared at him as his friend fidgeted with his hands. The prince scooted closer under the covers and reached over to take Prompto’s hands, but the blonde flinched and yanked his hands away. “Prompto?” Noctis searched his friend’s sullen face sorrowfully.

Then, Prompto slowly glanced up into Noctis’s caring sapphire orbs and the tears came flowing down his bruised, freckled cheeks. “Oh, Noct! I-, I mean, WE could be pregnant… I can’t… Oh Noct… Why does this have to happen?”, he sobbed into his hands.

Noctis held Prompto’s hands in his own as he hushed him comfortingly. “I don’t know, Prompto. But I know that, we can get through this. We are going to get through this. I swear it… I don’t want him to touch you again…”

“You know he will, Noct,” he cried. “He’s done it, like 5 times already...I can’t do it much longer...I can’t take it!”

Noctis’s own tears began to fall as he motioned for Prompto to come lay next to him under the covers as he could feel his friend shivering. He wasn’t sure if it was from being cold or from fear. “5 times…? Oh, Prompto… The bastard will pay with his life. I promise he will.”

Prompto crawled under the covers, dropping his blanket off his naked body to get closer to Noctis. That was when Noctis noticed all the damage Keith had done to Prompto. He especially caught the way the blonde hissed at every movement. “Prompto, did he...do it recently with you? Are you hurt?”

“Yeah. Just a few hours ago… But Noct, I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about. He was so rough with you...”

The prince cursed Keith under his breath as he let Prompto snuggle up to him for comfort, wiping his tears on the pillow.

“What are we gonna do now, Noct? We’re in such a friggin’ mess…,” he mumbled, hiccuping the last of his sobs .

Noctis shrugged as he pulled the covers up farther over their bodies. “Right now? We should probably sleep, I guess? And if he comes back, I’ll fight him. I don’t care what it takes.”

Prompto grasped at Noctis’s hand after he said that. “No, Noct! Please, you can’t, not now. You’re too weak. If he comes back wanting one of us, let him take me,” he pleaded.

Noctis glanced at him, wide-eyed. “But, Prompto-”

“No,” Prompto reaffirmed. “You can’t do it, Noct. Not again. I won’t let him hurt you.” He entwined his fingers through Noctis’s as he continued. “I saw how he hurt you before I cleaned you up...gods, Noct...I cried the whole time. He made you bleed…” His hoarse voice dropped to a whisper.

Noctis solemnly watched their hands swirl together as he listened to Prompto’s uneven breathing. He knew Prompto would go through even the pain of death for him just so Noctis wouldn’t have to suffer it himself. But death was a release. This was continuous torture.

Of course he would refuse for Prompto to subject himself to this, but his friend wouldn’t have it any other way. The prince only nodded his agreement, not wanting to put it into words. Words always made things seem worse.

“I'm gonna try to protect us both, Noct. I promise.”

Noctis hummed. “I’m really glad you were the one who cleaned me up, Prompto. I really am,” he thanked him awkwardly.

Prompto smiled at the prince and cuddled closer to him, both of them yawning in tandem. “I am too, Noct. I made sure to clean you up real nice.”

Deep in his heart, Noctis knew that being clean meant Keith would have his way violating Prompto again, but reluctantly remained silent as Prompto would only argue his point further.

He watched as Prompto’s eyelids became heavier and his breathing slowed to a sleepy pace, before the blonde finally fell asleep.

“Prompto,” he whispered sweetly, “thank you for being here for me.”

Shortly after, Noctis fell asleep following Prompto as he drifted into dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it's a little disjointed. It was both intentional and unintentional. I tried to write them kind of in an awkward place: both being naked in front of each other, kidnapped and raped and then left to pick each other up.
> 
> Then I kinda struggled in the middle with how to write it out the whole scene.
> 
> Let me know how it feels to you.
> 
> Much love<3


	6. Blood in the Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh... okay, here's an update! This one is long, had lots of ideas for Iggy's and Gladdy's part so this one is mostly them.
> 
> Here you are ;)

“So, you really think you’re gonna be able to find them out there in all that snow, Gladiolus?”

Gladio groaned, slipping on his heavy hiking boots as Keith spoke using his full name. “Yeah, I do. Why?”

Keith snickered under his breath. “Well, no offense, my friend, but you’ve never trudged around in a blizzard before, have you? Think you’ll survive?”

“I’ll find ‘em, or die tryin’,” he replied smugly.

Little did Gladio know, Keith had been wanting to hear that as he strode back over toward the sofa. “Hope you find ‘em.”

Gladio shot a confused look his way. “Wait, you’re not going back out?”

“No way. Not till that damn blizzard blows over. Too dangerous.”

In the back of his mind, Gladio had considered the same thing. What if he did die out there without ever finding Noctis and Prompto? All things considered, they didn’t even know if the boys were still alive. The cold has always been a merciless killer, when going into it unprepared. But that was why the shield was making absolute, damn sure that he was fully ready for this. He couldn’t afford to fail.

“You will be sure to give those boys my warmest regards should you find them?”, the man asked, turning his head back at Gladio.

“Yeah, sure,” Gladio replied suspiciously as he buttoned up his thick wool coat. He stole a glance out of the corner of his eye at Keith, who resumed his coffee-sipping.

“Gladio, I’m coming as well.” Ignis appeared from the hallway, dressed up in the thickest pair of clothes you ever saw. He looked like a blanket monster, with his mouth partially covered with a wool scarf.

Gladio smirked, thankful that he wasn’t going alone. As his pride would have it, he wouldn’t ever say he was afraid of going by himself. “We’ll be able to cover more ground if you’re coming, Iggy. Glad you are.”

“As am I. I couldn’t very well let you go and get yourself killed out there. Noctis and Prompto need us both,” the advisor reasoned, handing Gladio a pair of leather gloves.

“You really think I’d die out there?”

Ignis cleared his throat. “Wouldn’t hurt to assume the worst.”

Gladio chuckled, patting Ignis on the arm roughly. “That’s our Iggy.”

Keith stood up from the sofa and slammed his coffee cup on the table, making the other men flinch. “You know, I’m thinking I’ll go with you. Three men are better than two,” he laughed, heading down the hallway. “Just don’t leave without me. I’ll be ready in 5 minutes, gentlemen.”

Gladio snapped his head in the man’s direction as he scratched his neck. “Yeah, we’ll be here…”, he trailed off. “Thought he said he didn’t want to go back out there till the weather cleared up.”

Ignis sighed, watching as Keith’s bulky form disappeared behind a door. “I think there are a few other misconceptions about our friend ‘Keith’,” he muttered, crossing his arms. “Do keep an eye on him, Gladio? I’m a little skeptical about his sudden want to come with us, considering that fact you brought up.”

Gladio nodded. “I have been keeping watch on him, Iggy, but I can’t figure him out. And how did he know if and when Noct and Prompto left in this blizzard last night?”

Pushing his glasses up his nose, the advisor glanced over at his friend. “Your guess is as good as mine, Gladio. We must be extra cautious. Though I must admit, I’m a bit nervous leaving the safety of this place when we aren’t even sure of all the facts.”

“You and me both, Igs.”

Just then, Keith seemed to be almost strutting down the hallway towards them, all bundled up. “Shall we, gentlemen? Let’s go find those boys,” he grinned, pulling a rifle from under his coat.

Ignis gasped as Gladio backed up. “Keith, a rifle?! What in blazes would we need that for?,” the advisor inquired, still taken aback.

The man caressed the barrel of his gun for a moment. “Never know. We might encounter wild beasts, or even daemons for that matter. Gettin’ dark soon.” His eyes roamed lustily over the rifle as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world.

Gladio slowly reached for the handle of the door. “I don't think we’ll be needing that, Keith. Wild animals are usually hibernating in this kind of weather. And daemons, we can handle,” he assured him in a low tone.

Keith put his hand up. “Ah! But you can never be too careful. Isn’t that right, Mr. Scientia?”

Ignis only hummed in response as they stepped out into the bitter, howling cold.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

They had been searching for what seemed like hours, but in reality was really only two. Keith led the way, rifle tucked firmly under his arm while Ignis and Gladio tripped along in the heavy, wet snow behind him.

The wind was fierce and unpredictable as it whipped from all directions, freezing all areas of their bodies not wrapped in at least four bundles. The blanketing snow flew in their faces and caught on their clothing, melting from their body heat, creating a damp cold underneath their coats. All the trees in the forest were bare and hanging low from the weight of heavy white powder clinging to their branches.

Ignis was afraid they might freeze to death if they didn’t stop and find cover soon. Gladio was more worried about them dying of hunger before dying from the cold. It was getting more difficult to see even just in front of their faces, but Keith kept going despite this, claiming he knew this forest like the back of his hand.

He turned back toward his companions and grinned. “You comin’ along, boys?”, he shouted over the howling wind.

Ignis’s lips were chapped and coated with frost that they made it nearly impossible to speak. His somewhat still warm tongue licked his lips, trying to thaw them enough to get words out. “Keith, I t-think we should c-consider stopping for a while,” he managed behind chattering teeth. “I can b-barely see in front of us.”

Gladio was already breathless as he stomped his way over beside Keith. “Yeah, I think Iggy’s right, Keith. W-we should take a break. We haven’t found anything yet, and it ain’t doing us any good to keep slowly k-killing ourselves out here without finding shelter,” the shield reasoned, wrapping his arms so tightly around himself to hold in what body heat he had left.

Keith squinted, peering around into the frigid frostbitten woodlands, panting. There was no way they could see clearly ahead of themselves if they kept going like this. Nothing but white filled the distance, whatever he could make of that distance as he could see no more than two feet in front of him.

He shrugged, swallowing dry saliva that had gathered at the back of his throat. “Too far to turn back now. If you're thinking about going back to the shop, you're outta luck. Cost us almost our fingers and toes to get out here even.”

Ignis struggled to catch up to them as he felt his toes start to warm when they were almost frozen just a moment ago. He knew that meant frostbite. “K-Keith,” he shivered as he tried to utter anything from his chilled mouth. “You know f-full well we are s-searching in vain right now. We can’t do anything with our extremities about to fall off. Please, isn’t there somewhere we can stay? Or hide a-at the very least?”

Keith pondered for a moment, readjusting the rifle to hold it under his other arm. “Ah,” he took quite a long pause as he carefully considered his next move. His cabin was the only place warm enough for them to not risk freezing to death, but of course he couldn’t take them there.

Noctis and Prompto were still waiting there for him, naked and vulnerable, and the very thought made him drool. He had to make it back to the cabin somehow without the prince’s retainers. He would figure something out.

After all, these two knew nothing of the whereabouts of his cabin. So he had all the time in the world.

All the time he ever needed.

He had guessed that, after having sex with the two boys, at least one of them would be with child soon. He was especially expecting Prompto more so than Noctis, but that was simply because he had had his way with him five times in one night. He knew that it wasn’t a guarantee, but it had to ensure something, right?

Still, he couldn’t believe his luck when it came to taking the two boys for himself. It was so incredibly easy, that the man laughed at being so precise with his timing and his methods. Ignis and Gladio were completely unaware, and now completely out of their element.

This forest was just as unforgiving as the cold that threatened to kill them. Ignis thought it astounding how Keith was so well traversed in the snowbound, tundra region that it seemed like everywhere he turned, the man knew exactly where he was.

Gladio had some respect set aside for the man as he braved these harsh conditions, knowing very well what could happen out here in the frigid blasts of a blizzard. The shield would never, in his right mind, risk it out in the cold, despite being an outdoorsy kind of guy.

Keith was indeed a force to be reckoned with and not to be taken lightly. His skills, resolve and endurance provided him much to work with in many different aspects, and not just outdoors. Not to mention his bodily girth and fitness. He was a well-built man, probably worked some hard labor most of his life, being a rancher.

And when it came to his resolve, there was no stopping him. If he wanted something bad enough, he wouldn’t let anything, or anyone, stand in his way. He was a man who stuck to what his heart and mind desired. But then desire turned to lust, clouding all sound judgement inside himself, then lust to desperation; going so far as to kill for what he wanted.

He knew he held power, and not just physical power either. Resilience was as important as anything else in his repertoire, but it was resilience to the point of straight up stubbornness. His wants and needs came first, before anyone else.

Instilling fear in the hearts of his foes or friends never strayed far from his mind if that’s what it took to get his way, and that’s exactly what he intended to do when he took Noctis and Prompto and locked them in his cabin. The fear of being alone. The fear of being hurt, with no comfort to cuddle into. It was for this very reason he was out here, pretending to search for the boys, when he had them all along.

He just needed a way to keep Ignis and Gladio busy for the next nine months.

Then he remembered an outcropping of a cave he had once stored his wild game in after hunting. It was dark, wet and not at all hidden from the elements, but provided some shelter necessary for a few hours anyway.

But he wasn’t intending to just leave them there. The grin returned once again to his face as he pictured the scene in his head. “Yeah, I remember there’s a place near here that we can take shelter in for a few hours at least,” he said, leading them off in another direction.

A different direction, farther away from his cabin.

“How far is it, Keith?”, Gladio asked, helping Ignis along as the advisor could barely move on his own, every bone in his body shivering.

Keith smirked, patting the butt of his rifle. “Just a few minutes,” he assured, looking back and catching a glimpse of the chilled advisor who was struggling to carry on. “We’ll be fine. Don't worry.”

His grin widened as his plan began to unfold beautifully.

 

•••••••••••••••••••

A few minutes was indeed all it took them to reach the cave, an obvious change in scenery from the continuous, blank white fluttering everywhere. It wasn’t much to look at, but it was shelter; however small it was.

Gladio breathed a sigh of relief as they got closer, with an almost unconscious Ignis clinging to his side. “Iggy?”, he glanced down worriedly at the advisor. “You okay? You gonna make it?”

Ignis tightened his grip on Gladio’s arm as he pulled himself back up straight. “I b-believe so, Gladio…,” he nodded, snowflakes falling off his head. “T-thank you…”

Keith glanced back at them, clearing his throat. “You did well, boys. Here it is,” he said happily, motioning to the rocky outcropping.

The advisor blearily looked up and frowned upon what he saw to be barely a shelter, and more of a crawlspace. He tugged on Gladio’s arm, pointing out the carving of the tiny space. “G-Gladio, there is no possible way we could all three f-fit in there,” he uttered unenthusiastically.

Gladio glanced around them, sighing as he realized this was really their only choice. This, or freeze to death. “You think we could try squeezing inside, Iggy? At least it’s something, right?”

“That’s the spirit, Gladiolus!” Keith shouted joyously, coming up behind Ignis and clapping him on the back, causing him to stumble and fall to his knees in the two-foot snow drift. “We’ll be fine here. Believe it or not, I actually spent a night here once, when I was just a tiny boy back then.”

Ignis dryly coughed as Gladio helped him back to his feet, feeling completely exhausted. “K-Keith, for one person or a child, this m-may work. But three grown men fall out of the equation.”

“This isn’t the whole shelter, if that’s what you're thinking!” He chortled as a sudden gust of wind blew over his back, making him shiver. “Sure is chilly. Let’s head inside, huh?”

“Wait, you're saying there’s more to this little hole?”, Gladio inquired, still unsure of the man’s intentions.

Keith winked, raising a finger to his eye. “More than meets the eye, my good man. Please! Step inside,” he chimed, motioning for them to go first. As soon as the two of them trudged past him, he quickly and quietly as he could, cocked his rifle, holding it against the wind as he tried to get the sound to be carried off in a fierce gust.

Gladio let Ignis crawl in first, who shivered on all fours, wriggling his way in on the icy cold surface of the rock. He gasped as he hit his head on the edge of the small opening. “Ah… watch your head, Gladio,” he warned him, entering into a larger cave than he imagined. 

He glanced around in awe at the purple-hued cavern that gratefully shared its space with him. Multiple stalagmites and stalactites occupied seats in every corner, as water dripped down from the ceiling, forming an icy coating in the middle of the craggy floor.

But the advisor was thankful that they were out of the frigid winds at last, and could relax and warm up for a while as they mulled over their next step for finding Noctis and Prompto.

Until he heard it.

For a moment, his ears were ringing. He was frozen on his hands and knees. That distinct, unmistakable sound…

“BANG”

Fear rushed into the advisor’s head as he tried to process what exactly he had just heard. When he dared to look behind him, on the other side of the cavern’s opening, blood spilled from another human being.

His fears were coming to life in front of him as wicked laughter echoed through the hollow, rocky walls.

“You sure know just what to expect in the wild, don’t you, Gladiolus? But the only animal you encountered here,” the sinister voice paused, leaving the silence to flow for a few seconds. “Was me.”

The rifle was cocked again and the click of the latch made Ignis’s heart drop to his stomach as he lurched forward, shouting. “Gladio!!”

“BANG”

Another. Blood poured down and flooded over the cold cavern floors where Gladio sat on his knees. Ignis watched in horror, Gladio’s body jolt from the shock of the bullet’s force when the voice chortled darkly once again, finding this amusing.

“I’ll make sure to mention that you both said goodbye to the boys.”

Ignis’s jade eyes flashed with rage as he put all the pieces together, finally understanding what had really happened to their prince and their blonde companion. “Keith!”, he called, and even though he was still shivering, his tone was clear and unfaltering. “Where are Noctis and Prompto?”

“Take good care of this one, Ignis, he’s bleeding pretty badly,” he scoffed as his voice got further and further away. “Perhaps those boys will see you in their dreams. You all seem so close. How lovely,” he mused mockingly, faking sympathy as he left them to the lonely chill of the cave.

Ignis’s fists were clenched, his heart burning with anger as he crawled back over to the opening to pull Gladio inside. Blood soaked through his gloves as he tugged on the older man. “Gladio? Gladio, are you with me?”

No response.

“No... Gladio…,” the advisor murmured, pulling with what strength he had left. Gladio was so heavy and having not eaten since the night before was making things so much worse for Ignis, as he struggled with the girth of the shield’s body.

Finally, with one last heave, Gladio was inside the roomy cavern, collapsed in his younger friend’s arms. Ignis held him gently as the blood poured out of his back and onto Ignis’s woolen garments, soaking clean through.

There was so much blood…

Gladio was completely unconscious, most likely from loss of blood and the shock of being shot twice. The advisor examined his wounds, concentrating on the second one, which was much more severe. The bullet went deep and created a hollow cavity through his left pectoral muscles, leaving blood to freely flow out of him. It just narrowly missed his heart.

Ignis tried to remain calm as he spoke to the shield, hoping he would wake. “Gladio. Please, you must wake up. I can’t do this alone. I need to know you are still with me,” he felt for a pulse in Gladio’s neck, continuing to talk to him. “Gladio, please. Say something!” His pleas flew across the cavern walls and resonated in his own ears.

There was a pulse, though it was barely clinging to life as the thumping turned to a tender tapping against Ignis’s fingers. The advisor pulled out a hi-potion and pushed Gladio up off of him just enough to crack it over his back, when a shallow breath left the older man’s lips.

Ignis gasped at the sound, hoping it was Gladio coming back. But it was only a breath the older man had been holding in. Gladio remained unconscious as Ignis let him slip back gently into his arms. The advisor then began unravelling various articles of clothing from his own body as he tried to dress Gladio’s wounds as best he could to help stop the bleeding. But as tight as he tied the makeshift bandages, the blood soaked right through those as well. There was just too much blood for Ignis to handle.

He hugged him close to his chest, leaning his head on Gladio’s, rocking back and forth as sobs threatened to come forth. His friend’s normally warm body was slowly growing colder as dark blood continued to flood out of his gaping wounds.

“Gladio, please wake up,” Ignis whispered, his voice cracking in the slightest. “I can’t find them without you.”

 

•••••••••••••••••••••

Noctis felt a soft tap on his shoulder as sleep carefully slipped away from his achy body. Groaning, he lifted himself up on one arm, moving to sit up when that awful pain shot up his sides again, making it hard to breathe. “Agh!- dammit,” he hissed.

Prompto watched him, standing beside the bed with a concerned expression, hoping his friend’s ribs would mend soon. He hated to see Noctis in pain. “Hey, Noct,” he smiled, speaking as softly as he could. “Feeling any better today?”

Noctis shook his head before opening his bleary, sapphire eyes to greet the blonde’s smiling face. “Hey.”

Prompto climbed on the bed and sat beside him. “So, I found our phones sitting underneath the bed and tried them both, but there’s no signal around here. It's totally dead,” he explained, pressing a button on his phone to get it to light up. “No texts came through or went out either.”

Noctis hummed in disappointment. “So, there’s no way we can get in touch with Gladio or Ignis?”

“Nope,” the blonde sighed. "You think they're out looking for us?"

“'Course I do. They have to be."

“I hope they find us before he comes back... oh yeah, I found some clothes too," he added.

Noctis glanced over at the locked door. “Did you find a key?”

“No,” the blonde replied, “I think Keith took them all and probably hid them somewhere.” He leaned over Noctis and placed his phone on the small bedside table. “I searched all over this room. There’s nothing,” he sighed, defeated.

“Is he here?”, Noctis asked, a bitter feeling rising in his stomach.

“I haven’t heard him,” he answered. “I wonder if he went back to the chocobo ranch.”

“Do you have any idea where the hell we are, Prompto?”

Prompto’s frown told the prince all he needed to know from that question. “I just know we’re somewhere safe at least,” the blonde pointed out.

“Yeah, but safe from what? Him? This is his place, right?”

Prompto nodded, not wanting to actually form the words. “I can’t get it out of my head, Noct. What he did, the way he made me feel… I still feel his gross hands all over my body and it’s driving me crazy,” he blurted out. “He said he wanted to make us… pregnant. But, why? What’s this guy’s deal? I just wanna go back. Back to the Regalia, back to our adventure.”

Noctis listened with a blank stare as he tried to answer the same questions in his mind. “I’m sorry, Prompto, that he’s done that to you. It makes me sick to think that he thinks he can violate us in any way he wants to and get away with it. The sick son of a bitch probably enjoys it.” The prince shifted under the blankets, and moved to get out of the bed. His burning, broken sides were telling him otherwise, but he came to stand on his feet, wincing and clutching his sides. “When he comes back, I think we should kill the bastard. Wait to ambush him from behind the door,” he suggested, summoning his engine blade.

Prompto whimpered. “Noct, you sure that’s such a good idea? What if you miss?”

“You’ll be there with your gun. We’ll both do it,” he reasoned.

“But,” the blonde continued to protest. “What if we miss?”

Noctis huffed, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword, raising it high. “Then we’ll try again! We’ll rush him, tackle him. I don’t care, Prompto, whatever it takes to bring him down!”

Prompto came up to him and placed his hand over the prince's, gently getting him to lower his sword. “Noct, it’s not safe. I don’t think we should. I’m scared to think what he’d do if we failed this,” he sadly confessed, his hand shaking. “We can’t risk it.”

Noctis gazed into his friend’s trusting blue eyes. He hated to admit it, but Prompto was right. Even if they could lie in wait to attack him, it wasn’t a sure chance that they could reach him. If Prompto’s bullet missed and Noctis’s sword stabbed at the wrong thing, it could mean serious repercussions. Keith was both taller and stronger than the two of them put together.

As long as they weren’t wounded, they had a chance to escape, if ever they were presented with such an opportunity. They also had to consider the what if’s: what if the weather never cleared? What if they got lost trying to find their way back to Ignis and Gladio? That was a big ‘if’.

What if they were pregnant?

That question hung heavily in the air between the two boys, but neither of them wanted to talk about it. Why would they want to? A strange man, someone they don’t even know, kidnapped them, raped them, and now had them trapped here, waiting to see if they turn out to be with child?

It was disgusting. And as angry as Noctis was, he had to think about their lives and safety before acting so brashly. He dropped his arms and let his sword fizzle out before turning to Prompto. “Sorry,” he mumbled sincerely.

Prompto smiled. “Don’t be, Noct. It's okay. I feel the same, but we have to be careful.”

“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Prompto.”

They both said nothing for a while until a thought popped back into Prompto’s head. He really didn’t want to ask it, because of the embarrassment he felt just thinking about it, but Noctis understood exactly how he felt. They were in the same position, after all.

“Okay, Noct, I have to ask you something real quick, because if I don’t, I’m gonna flip,” the blonde blabbed without pause.

It made Noctis chuckle a little. “O...kay, go ahead, Prompto.”

“How would you feel if… we were, y’know… pregnant?”

The prince thought it over for a minute, staring down at his naked self. It wasn’t something he had really paid attention to, given how brutally he was treated and their current helplessness. But Prompto made a good point: they could very well be pregnant at the same time.

“I dunno. I guess I’d feel kind of… afraid? Maybe angry? Why, you think you might be?”

Prompto’s eyes widened, backing up a little as he considered that very-real prospect. “I don’t know! I hope I’m not. But… you could be too!”

Noctis crossed his arms. “Yeah, I know. I hope not too, Prompto. That would suck if we had to deal with that trying to get the hell out of here,” he pouted, trying not to think about it as Prompto wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in for a hug.

Prompto squeezed ever so gently as Noctis returned the embrace. “We’ll be okay, right? We might be pretty good ‘moms’, don’tcha think?” The blonde laughed as he attempted a joke, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

Noctis huffed playfully, blowing some of Prompto’s blonde bangs off his face. “Ha, maybe, but yeah. We’ll be fine.” He hugged Prompto tighter. “We’ll be fine,” he repeated, in an effort to reassure himself, when they heard a door open. They both gasped, pulling back just a little to hold each other at arm’s length as they waited to hear the next sound.

Two heavy boots stepped inside, and the door shut again. Footsteps began stomping their way toward the boys’ room.

Prompto’s heart was pounding just as hard as Noctis’s as he clung to his friend, frightened of having to face that man again. “Oh dammit, no… Noct, he’s back. He’s back! W-what should we do?”, he whispered, shaking apprehensively in Noctis’s arms.

Noctis had no answer as he stood there, holding Prompto close to his beating heart protectively, listening as the boots steadily approached the boys’ vulnerable and broken souls.

Whatever was about to happen was inevitable. The heavy boots halted at their door, and both of them could see the man’s lurking shadow underneath.

The only sound that passed between them, was the rapid “thump, thump, thump” of their hearts pounding in rhythm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a brutal monster...
> 
> Noctis and Prompto are gonna be in for a long, long fight.
> 
> Let's hope Iggy can do something to save Gladio's life before it's too late...
> 
> Thanks for reading! I always love reading your comments, I hope you'll let me know what you think!
> 
> Love! :)


	7. Desperate Measures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter :) After this is where a timeskip comes in. Not too far ahead, but just enough to where it makes sense.
> 
> This is probably one of the most violent chapters so far and it starts pretty fast. Also, lots of non-consensual violence happening too, so be wary.
> 
> Here it is

Noctis shut his eyes, hoping and praying to the gods above that the man would be merciful with them this time as Prompto quivered helplessly in his arms. The prince gulped hard as blood rushed to his head, flinching at the creak of the door opening.

“Noct…” Prompto whimpered, clinging onto his friend for dear life as the door swung open and Keith’s form filled the entirety of the threshold.

The man smirked at them, lusting after their naked forms before him. The possessive glint in Keith’s eyes bore through Noctis, and the prince felt claimed by the man right there. Prompto’s knees shook as a feeble whine slipped out of his mouth.

“Aw, are you afraid, my little sunshine boy?”

Noctis scowled, hugging Prompto closer. “Don’t come any closer,” he warned, but what in his mind made him think anything was going to stop this monster?

Keith patiently stepped inside with that wicked smirk flashed at the terrified blonde. “Might I remind you, Noctis, that you are in no position to say ‘no’? There is no way out. I made sure of that when I brought your pathetic excuses for retainers out into the storm.”

“Iggy...?”, Prompto dared to look up into those menacing brown eyes that had seen him in his most vulnerable state.

“Yes, my beautiful boy. And the other one. Though I’m not sure he’ll make it,” he took another careful step toward the boys as Noctis glared at him with a darkness in his sapphires. “You see, he’s a little bloody.” He held out his calloused, blood-stained hands.

Noctis had a horrible feeling in the bottom of his heart at the sight of his close friend’s blood on this bastard’s hands. Had this man already killed Gladio? Was he slowly dying without them by his side? What had he done to Ignis and Gladio?

“What… what have you done to them?” the prince forced the question out from the back of his throat.

Keith smiled at the raven. “I took them for a little stroll through the woods. The forest is quite the sight blanketed in all that snow. You know,” he glanced down at his hands turning them over and over. “Red and white really paint a gorgeous picture.”

“You’re disgusting!”, Noctis shouted, causing Prompto to flinch as he backed further into the room.

Keith tilted his head, pretending to act hurt from Noctis’s words. “My boy, you wound me.” He continued advancing toward the two boys as that vile smirk returned to his face. “I just needed to keep them away for nine months, that’s all!”

“Nine… months?!” The instant those words hit his ears, Noctis knew exactly what he was getting at, but he didn’t want to gratify this man’s winning streak by saying it. “You think you’re gonna keep us here for that long? What the hell do you want from us?!” His voice cracked, letting the true fear settle into the room.

Keith chuckled lowly. “I'm certain my beautiful boy already told you,” he nodded at Prompto.

Noctis looked down at the shivering blonde, who was making weak, little whimpering sounds as sobs gurgled in his throat. “Prompto?”

“Babies, Noct,” Prompto murmured his answer, afraid to lift his gaze. “He wants us to have his kids…”

“Why?”, Noctis demanded, whipping his head to stare at the man.

“Enough about why,” Keith growled, quickening his approach. “C’mere.”

Noctis shook his head, maneuvering Prompto protectively behind his back. “No. Get away.”

“A feeble attempt, Noctis. But I told you, I won’t take ‘no’ from either one of you.”

“You’ll take it from me!” The prince’s eyes flashed a desperate anger that resonated from his heart as he summoned his blade and pointed it at the man.

Prompto helplessly watched it all unfold as he held onto Noctis’s arms from behind. “Noct! No, please! Don’t fight!”

The man laughed, pulling his rifle out from under his coat. “You should listen to him, Noctis. You know what opposition will cost you.”

Noctis gasped when the rifle was flung out at him, but he stood his ground, not ready to give up yet. Even though he knew that Keith’s words held him captive, he had to try fighting back. What other choice did they have?

The fickle burning in his sides scolded him as to what this man was capable of here. They were alone, weak and afraid. Noctis knew now that Ignis and Gladio weren’t coming for them, because they too were out there somewhere. Maybe dead, but he wouldn’t think that far just yet.

“Get back!” He jerked his sword forward at Keith’s chest. “I’ll kill you.”

Prompto constantly tapped on his friend’s shoulders, hoping he would let go of the blade so the man wouldn’t have to get forceful with them. “Noct, let go of it, please!” The blonde begged him over and over, until Noctis turned and met the fearful, despondent blue eyes of his best friend.

Noctis gazed knowingly back and forth between those eyes before he finally lowered his arms and let his blade vanish into light. “Ok,” he whispered, tears welling up. “Ok, Prompto.”

Prompto managed a smile, biting his lip to repress his whimpers.

Keith watched them with adoration, as he came to stand right in front of the prince. “I knew I could trust you, Prompto, my boy. I ought to thank you for cooperating.”

Before Noctis could fully glare up into the man’s face, he flew to the side and hit the floor hard; the whole left side of his face throbbing and burning. His nose was bleeding and it felt broken as he gasped for breath.

“Noct!” Prompto moved to help him up, when Keith stuck the gun in his face, making him freeze.

“Don’t move him. Get down on your knees,” he commanded, motioning with the rifle.

Prompto reluctantly complied and shuffled on his knees over to Noctis. He reached down and gently took his prince’s injured face in his trembling palms as his tears fell on Noctis’s raven bangs. “Noct…?”

Noctis groaned, holding his nose and curling in on himself to try to alleviate the pain from his broken bones coursing through his body.

Prompto watched in horror as Keith shrugged his coat off and then his sweater, then his shirt, revealing his chiseled, hard-toned torso. Just as quickly, he tugged off his boots and his pants, but left his boxers on for a moment, glaring at the blonde. “Hold him down, my boy.”

Prompto’s breaths came out ragged and shallow as he feared what the man was going to do next, if Prompto held Noctis down for him. He didn’t move.

“I said, ‘hold him down’, Prompto!” His eyes menacingly darkened.

His shout rang in Prompto’s ears, causing him to flinch and hesitantly grasp Noctis’s hands from his bloodied face. Tears fell faster as he applied some pressure to Noctis’s wrists, holding them down in his lap as roughly as he dared.

Noctis panted wildly, looking up fearfully into his friend’s tearful, freckled face. “Prompto…?!”

The desperate whine in Noctis’s shaky tone tore the blonde apart as he saw Keith throw his boxers to the side, grab Noctis’s legs and force them open, tearing a scream out of the raven.

Prompto shut his eyes, not wanting to witness Noctis be subject to any more cruel torture, but the yelps and whines that clawed their way out of the prince’s throat gnawed at Prompto’s aching heart. He struggled to keep Noctis’s wrists down as the prince squirmed against his hold. “Noct, I’m s-so sorry…”

Keith slung Noctis’s legs over his broad shoulders as he scooted closer, nudging his engorged tip at the prince’s pink entrance.

“No!”, Noctis gasped hoarsely, trying to tug his wrists out of Prompto’s shaky grip. “Prompto, please!!”

His pleas ripped Prompto’s heart in two as Keith smirked at the blonde, nodding his approval. The younger boy knew he couldn’t do anything to help Noctis in this desperate moment. This was the first time he ever felt like he was truly worthless.

Here he was: holding his best friend down for this monster to do whatever he wanted to him, while Noctis pleaded and begged and cried for Prompto to release him. His own sobs broke forth as the tears trailed down his freckled cheeks.

He feared the pleading cries of Noctis would never leave his head after this.

Keith sighed in content at the helpless, whimpering prince writhing under him. “You are a feisty one, my beautiful prince. But I will teach you and Prompto the pain that comes from resisting me,” he said, staring down at Noctis and cupping his face tenderly for just a moment before slamming into him hard and fast, earning a terrified yelp from the prince as he arched in pain.

“I’m so sorry, Noct!”, Prompto cried over Noctis’s screams.

“Don’t be, my beautiful boy. Just hold him still!”

Prompto tearily glared at Keith while Noctis continued his struggle against the blonde’s restraining hands.

“Promptoooooo!!! Please!!!!” The pain from being fucked so roughly was getting to be too much as blood trickled down Noctis’s thighs.

Keith thrust mercilessly into the prince and without hesitation, kissed him roughly all over his thighs, belly, chest and up to his neck, biting and sucking at various spots; chortling through his actions, his lips vibrating on the prince’s flesh only made him buck up higher and struggle harder for both Keith and Prompto to release him.

Prompto will forever regret the moment he opened his eyes again to find the wretched pleading in Noctis’s deep, sapphire eyes. All he could do was watch in horror as Keith thrust forcefully into the prince’s already tired, broken body over and over and over again.

Prompto tried in vain to ease some of the pain as he pressed soft, sweet kisses to Noctis’s horribly bruised face. “I’m sorry, Noct… I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…”, he cried, murmuring it into every tender kiss.

“Prompto- gahhhh! Pleeeeeaaassseee! Please, please, please!”

“No, Noctis,” Keith chided him, gripping his hips so forcefully, pulling him toward his sweaty crotch. “I want you to scream my name. Now.” He then dropped all of his weight onto the prince, getting him to squeak for air.

“No…,” Noctis whispered, panting hard. “No, no, no… Prompto!”

“Noctis! My name, now!”

Prompto slowly looked up into Keith’s venomous brown eyes as anger rose in his core. He couldn’t stand it anymore: those sickening wet, slapping sounds, the way Keith hovered over the prince with his hot, heavy breathing, demanding him to scream for him. But what hit him hardest was the way Noctis whined and whimpered more from pain than from pleasure. Prompto scowled and growled under his breath as Keith rode out his orgasm with a low bellow, still pumping into Noctis’s pink, bleeding hole.

Finally feeling past the point of refusing or resisting as his walls clamped down on Keith’s pulsing cock, the prince howled his name. “KEITH! OOOHHHH, GODS!!” He shivered violently as the man’s seed shot deep inside of him: wet, hot and sticky while Noctis writhed in pain, releasing his own string of white fluid as most of his juices dripped on the hardwood floor.

It was in that moment, the prince felt all dignity, pride and hope leave him barren. Without the will to fight, he caved in and gave up, knowing he was done. He couldn’t go on any longer.

Keith reveled in the aftermath of their callous, brutal sex, glancing down at a thoroughly exhausted, pain-stricken, utterly broken Noctis. The man nodded at Prompto and praised him for holding Noctis in place. “Good, Prompto. Very good, my boy,” he breathed, pulling agonizingly slow out of the prince. “I think you deserve a prize. What do you think, my beautiful prince? Doesn’t he?”

Noctis whined weakly, shaking his head and feebly tugging on his wrists still held in Prompto’s grip. “No… let go… please… let go!” He arched up, moaning out the last word as the pain from Keith’s slow retreat returned. He knew he had to have many tears in his womb for it to hurt this much.

Prompto only then realized that he was still holding Noctis’s wrists. “Oh… Noct! Noct, I’m- I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” He jerked his hands away and pressed a kiss to the prince’s forehead, lingering there till Keith stood up and motioned with his finger for Prompto to come to him.

“Prompto.”

Gods, he hated that voice. Despised it. “What?”, Prompto spat, glancing down at the mess of bodily fluids and blood on the floor underneath Noctis’s bottom, wincing and tearing up at the sight of his best friend: lying naked and motionless, sobbing desolately like he was all alone in the world.

Keith smirked and moved over toward the boys’ shared bed. “Come here, my boy. It’s time for your prize.”

Prompto was sickened at the sight of him, sprawling himself across the bed with his giant cock hanging over the edge, covered in both his and Noctis’s drying semen.

The blonde shut his eyes and summoned his handgun. “No,” he said simply, cocking the trigger. “And if you come over to try to grab me, I’ll shoot your damn balls off.”

Keith didn’t seem phased at all by Prompto’s obvious threat to his private parts, in fact he laughed it off, sliding off the bed. “Think you’re tough enough, don’t you, Prompto? I can respect a man with guts, but what about your poor, dear Noctis? He doesn’t look well at all.”

Prompto bit his lip as he glanced back at his prince. He noticed Noctis wasn’t making sounds anymore, not even sounds of breathing. The blonde freaked, dropping the apparition of his handgun and falling to his knees beside his friend. “Noct?”

He shook his shoulder, but Noctis didn’t stir. Not even an inch.

Prompto’s breath hitched in his throat as he feared the worst. “Noct?! Gods… Noct, please.” He leaned down to listen for a heartbeat and there was one, he thanked the gods above; though it only murmured against the blonde’s ear, telling him the prince was very weak.

Drowning in anguish, Prompto felt there was one final thing he could do as he turned to Keith with tears flooding his blue eyes.

“Help him.”

Keith gazed longingly at the blonde, smiling kindly as if he actually felt sorry for him. He stepped closer, kneeling down to Prompto’s level.

Prompto looked him right the eyes. “Please, Keith. Help him, I’m begging you.”

The man tilted his head in a sort of mockingly loving manner. “I will, my boy, don’t worry. But come here first,” he purred, wrapping a thick arm around the blonde’s waist. “C’mon, come with me.”

Prompto flailed at his grip, reaching out for Noctis as Keith pulled him away. “No! No, Keith, please! Help him! He needs help!”

“I know, Prompto, but I promise I’ll help him when we’re done. Now come,” he growled into Prompto’s ear, then roughly tugged his chin back, making him stare right into that dark, lustful grin on his face. “My beautiful boy…” He captured Prompto’s lips in an aggressive kiss, causing Prompto to whine and push on his arm.

“No!”, the blonde protested breathlessly against the man’s dominating mouth, which then trailed callous kisses down Prompto’s throat as Keith’s arm tightened over his waist, pulling him to his chest. “He needs help! Don’t do this, please… Keith, he needs your help… please!” 

His pleas turned into agonizing cries as he was dragged mercilessly over to the bed for yet another round of savage intimacy.

 

•••••••••••••••••••••

Ignis berated himself. How could he have been so stupid? So oblivious to the obvious? Noctis and Prompto did indeed know better than to play around in the middle of a blizzard. And all along, Ignis suspected Keith had a part to play in their disappearance. So why hadn’t he done anything about it?

Did some part of his heart want to believe in the good nature and intentions of another human being? Perhaps, what with the whole world in a state of turbulent uncertainty. The empire wasn’t making life any easier either. Ignis wondered if Keith might be working for the imperial army; unlikely, but still a possibility.

But wouldn’t it make more sense if he had just taken Noctis, the prince? What would it benefit the empire to have Prompto as well? He could have asked him, he should have asked him. Whether or not he told the truth would be up to his discretion.

All Ignis hoped for despite his worst fears, was that both boys were safe and unharmed, holding out for a single shred of a chance to reach them. To rescue them from the man’s treacherous hands and whatever wicked plans he had for them.

The storm wore on for hours as it rolled through a second day. Blistering wind whipped and lashed at everything that lived and breathed, wailing within the cavern walls. The heavy snow accumulated into higher and higher mounds at the entrance to the cave, making it seem like they would soon be trapped inside.

Ignis sat with his back up against a wet, rocky wall without moving, listening to Gladio’s harrowing wheezes on his shoulder. The advisor had no idea if Gladio was going to make it or not, despite his best efforts to keep him alive. Thanking the gods that at least he had that hi-potion, he had a sinking feeling that maybe he had done all he could for his burly friend and maybe he was going to die here in this gods-forsaken cave.

It was so bitterly cold as Ignis leaned in closer to Gladio’s side, trying to conserve what little body heat they both had left. The advisor had shrugged off a lot of his clothing for the sake of either wrapping Gladio’s wounds, or attempting to keep his body from going into shock by covering all areas of his bulky form with heavy wool.

In hindsight, Ignis wished he had just remained at the ranch with Gladio and discussed a plan in which they could find both boys without putting themselves in danger. They would be warm, fed, safe and most of all, they would have the upper hand on Keith. They had acted in haste, he knew.

So concerned with searching for their younger friends that all logical reasoning was thrown out the window, running out into the crippling cold without a thought for their own wellbeing.

And that carelessness will have almost cost Gladio his life, with Ignis soon to follow. There was no way anyone could survive for long in this frigid wasteland; however well-prepared one seemed to be.

Why hadn’t Ignis talked the shield down from coming out here in the first place? Reason and common sense were most often the advisor’s forte, helping to make sure all four of them were safe and accounted for. So why was it his emotion that occupied the forefront of his mind? Or perhaps, it was more his heart?

Feelings and emotional distress should never be a motive for anyone, even in the face of danger. A tool is all they are and Ignis preached that constantly, believing every situation, no matter how serious, must be confronted with sense, reason, responsibility, and accountability.

He once swore an oath to protect the prince to his dying breath. But he feared he would be taking that last breath without Noctis by his side. 

What a way for a man to die.

 

••••••••••••••••••

A few quiet hours passed and Ignis had since let himself slip into sleep, the raging storm outside sounding like soothing white noise now. He slept without a sound or a stir, exhausted beyond his limits. Minutes passed like hours, and hours like days as the two men recuperated in this stoney, forgotten space. 

Time seemed meaningless in this moment.

Shaken out of a dream, Ignis felt a nudge in his side. Awake enough to be aware of his immediate surroundings, he heard Gladio groan slightly and shift his weight from one hip to the other, leaning his head on the wall instead of Ignis’s shoulder.

Ignis’s heart leapt at the hope that Gladio was indeed still alive and able to breathe and move on his own. “Gladio?”, he whispered, leaning over to see the older man’s gruff face.

Not dead or unconscious, just asleep.

Ignis breathed a shallow sigh of relief, reassured that his friend was still here with him. He felt more at ease now, knowing Gladio wasn’t gone and wasn’t dying, but that he was merely resting to recover his strength beside the advisor.

If anything, at least Ignis could see and hear that Gladio had survived the worst. The advisor pressed his cheek over his friend’s heaving chest and fell back to sleep, listening with a smile to the steady thumping of his constant heartbeat.

In a moment, Ignis jolted awake again, remembering that he had forgotten one crucial thing. ‘The bullets! They’re still inside him!’ Carefully, he peeled back all the layers of clothing he had draped over his friend and examined his chilled, bare chest.

No holes.

That was a very bad sign. It meant that the bullets hadn’t come clean through and the wounds were probably infected now. Ignis tried not to panic as he struggled to turn Gladio’s heavy body flat on his stomach so he could reach the bullet wounds in his back.

His wounds were indeed slightly infected, as they pulsed red and puffy. The hi-potion had eased some of the pain and the sting of post-injury, but it did little to prevent the spread of bacteria. Gladio was lucky he was only shot twice as removing the bullets was going to prove one arduous task for the advisor.

Daunting as the task was, Ignis had no choice but to perform minimal surgery in the wilderness. He wasn’t a doctor. Sure, he had read some medical books and studied biology, training for minor injuries in the event the prince had a sprained ankle or wrist, but it was nothing like this.

This was serious, dangerous! The life of a man rested in his hands performing a capable and careful job. One slip-up could prove fatal for Gladio if he bled out or the bullet slipped in further. There were so many things that could go wrong here, but Ignis had to keep that faith in himself. Something had to be done or Gladio was going to die anyway.

Ignis would never forgive himself. If he had a chance, he was going to take it.

He took a deep breath, slowly removing the gloves off his hands. Then he paused to look at the wounds a little closer, noticing at least one of the bullets wasn’t too deep. ‘Good,’ he thought, wiping the beading sweat off his forehead. ‘At least something is working in our favor.’ Pretending like he was actually talking with Gladio was helping to calm his nerves, saying ‘our’ instead of ‘my’.

Reluctantly, he summoned his daggers, knowing they weren’t exactly the most sterile instruments in his arsenal; but they were the only the things that were going to be of good use to cut these bullets out. He gently and steadily prodded at the wound closest to the shield’s path to his heart with his bare fingers, earning another weak groan from Gladio as the older man shifted below his hands.

Ignis held his back in place. “Gladio, please don’t move too much. I must get these bullets out. If I don’t, you’re like to-” He didn’t want to say that word that almost rolled off his tongue. “-suffer needlessly for an uncertain period of time.”

Gladio squirmed again, despite the advisor’s warning.

“Gladio, please! Hold still!” He held his back firmly as he scolded him.

“Iggy…?” His voice low and hoarse, sounding thick with saliva. Lying on his stomach didn’t help in the way of enunciating words either. “Iggy?”, he said again, as if he was afraid Ignis wasn’t really there.

Ignis smiled at his friend. “It’s alright, Gladio, I’m right here and I’m going to help you. But you’ve got to lie still. It will be painful, but it’s what has to be done.”

Gladio hummed his acknowledgement softly, stealing his body still for the pain he was about to endure. “Keith,” he coughed out. “Where… the bastard… Iggy?”

“Hush now, you must not speak to reserve your strength, my friend,” Ignis chided. “Keith is gone. And I suspect he won’t be back, so just lie still, stay calm and try to relax.”

At the press of Ignis’s kind, careful fingers on his back, Gladio fell back into a long slumber.

The advisor held a dagger up and wiped it clean as best he could before bringing it to the top of Gladio’s taut skin. He halted, mumbling a prayer. “Please, let me be quick and precise,” he breathed, as the sharp tip of the dagger pecked into the fragile flesh of the puffy wound.

The frigid gales outside swept up Gladio’s shrill howls of pain and carried them out into the lonely, unforgiving mountains of white.

 

•••••••••••••••••

“There,” Ignis huffed, sitting back on his heels after what seemed like hours of digging around in Gladio’s injured flesh. It really had only been about an hour at the most. But the advisor felt pride blooming inside himself at his accomplishment.

Two bloody bullets lay cold on the floor of the cavern far from them as Ignis helped Gladio sit upright. “I’m so relieved you didn’t bleed out, Gladio. How do you feel?”

“Sore, but... way better, Iggy. Thanks for… taking them out,” he managed, winded just from the effort of trying to sit up.

Ignis nodded, gently patting dry the blood on his friend’s back with a wool cloth. “I need you at your best, Gladio. And I couldn’t let you just die on me, you know.”

Gladio chuckled weakly, coughing in the middle as he tried to catch his breath. “Yeah, I know. We’ve gotta go find Noct and Prompto, wherever that son of a bitch is keeping them.”

“I agree completely,” the advisor replied, laying the bundles of clothes back over Gladio’s chill, teetering body. “But first, you will rest. You will be needing all of your strength, Gladio. I don’t want to have to worry for your sake as well.” He took his seat back against the wall, cross-legged.

Gladio grunted, nodding as he moved to lie his head against the hard floor when Ignis held him and gently laid his head over his knee. “Iggy? What are you-”

“Hush,” he put a finger to his lips. “Sleep, and don’t argue with me. The floor of this bloody cave is unforgiving and horrible on your neck.”

“Sure,” Gladio complied, grateful that Ignis was beside him and had everything under control, in spite of how truly desperate their situation had become.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never created a character quite like Keith before. How would you feel if you were in either Noctis's or Prompto's place?
> 
> I know I'd be scared to death.
> 
> How'd I do with Ignis? I'd opt to take him with me to a desert island any day!
> 
> Aren't you glad Gladdy's okay? Well, so far anyway?
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it.


	8. Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the legendary timeskip I mentioned. I hope it doesn't seem too far ahead, because I didn't want to drag out the whole pregnancy thing. I know it can be kinda bland in that way...
> 
> Really getting into the swing of writing four multichapter fics now... lol ^0^
> 
> Enjoy the new chapter!

Prompto woke up to a terrible kink in his back that morning, groaning as he sat up. Looking down as he pulled Keith’s baggy, tan sweater up off his growing belly, he saw he had yet another pink, zig-zaggy mark curving from his waist and around the edge of his forever-bruised left hip. He traced it with a shaky finger, sighing as he counted how many marks that made now: 15, all over his gurgling belly. He was starving.

For the first time in months, the aromas that filled the cabin actually made him salivate. Bacon, ham, eggs... six months of eating their captor’s food seemed like the only good part of this whole ordeal. At least they weren’t going hungry.

Prompto gratefully breathed in the wafting smells of breakfast, scooting to the edge of the bed with a hand on his belly. As if on cue, he felt a tiny jab against his palm. “Guess you get as excited about food as I do,” he whispered. “Don’t worry, I’ll eat plenty of it for both of us.” He stole a glance at the bed on the other side of the nightstand, where Noctis slept softly.

The blonde’s sullen blue eyes watched the rise and fall of his friend’s sweet sleeping form with a warm palm on his swelling belly. Noctis had a tough time falling asleep when his back ached during all of yesterday and made him toss and turn all night.

The prince hadn’t had one pleasant time so far with his pregnancy: morning sickness for a whole month and a half, a sore, aching back and recurring, throbbing headaches every evening. It was hell, and he made sure Keith knew that by cursing him and hitting at him every time the man dragged him to his room for more brutal intercourse.

Noctis had since turned in on himself, barely speaking even to Prompto. His pain was all he thought about and focused on, especially at night when his baby would kick and kick till the prince was screaming inside. It didn’t hurt, of course, but just the fact that he not only had someone kicking him on the outside, he also had someone kicking from the inside. Many times, he felt close to insanity.

Prompto tried to talk to him, comfort him in some way. But the prince acted cold, pushing the blonde away in frustration; it wasn’t a mood swing, Prompto was sure of that. He couldn’t understand why his best friend wouldn’t talk to him, tell him how he felt or what bothered him… except the obvious.

It was agony, seeing how Noctis struggled to maintain calm in the midst of all this pain and torture. Pregnancy was supposed to be a joyous occasion, not a cruel punishment.

Prompto slowly rose from the bed and softly pressed a kiss to the prince’s silky bedhead, placing his hand over his, resting on his belly.

The blonde felt a strong kick from underneath Noctis’s hand. “Yowch… you’re a strong one, aren’tcha? Try not to wake ‘mommy’ up, okay?” Another strong jab gave Prompto his answer as Noctis moaned and turned on his back, his palms coming to hold his belly.

“Please… stop kicking me so much,” he mumbled, opening his bleary eyes to see Prompto smiling at him. “What?”

That was not a warm question at all. “How’d you sleep?”, the blonde asked, squeezing his friend’s hand.

“Fine,” he replied, yanking his hand away.

“How’s your back?”

“Why?”

“Just wanna know how you’re feeling,” his voice kindly gesturing for an answer.

Noctis abruptly turned on his side, wincing as he faced the wall. “Does it really matter to you?”

“Um, yeah, I’m… worried about you-”

“Don’t be.”

Prompto brushed away some tears, taking a seat on Noctis’s bed across from his. “Noct, why are you… acting this way? Are you mad at me for something?”

“It’s nothing,” the prince huffed. “And what is that gods awful smell?!”

“No… Noct, please… Can’t we just-”

“Forget it, Prompto!” Noctis glared at him over his shoulder, yanking the covers up over his head.

He knew he shouldn’t have pushed it. Noctis had been overly emotional lately, but this was different. When it came to his mood swings, he was usually only angry with Keith, but sometimes it could be nothing at all.

Prompto felt hurt and confused. Why was he angry with him? What had he done? If anything, all they had here was each other. If they lost that, they might as well be good as dead. They weren’t going anywhere, no one knew where they were, they were both six months pregnant, out in the middle of nowhere with a sadistic man who held them captive… they had to stick together, lean on each other.

But Prompto was certain, Noctis would not go for that kind of heartfelt sentiment right now. It was too much for him to handle, so the blonde tried his best to lighten the heavy tension in the room.

“You wanna eat something? Keith makes really good ham,” the blonde said, hopefully talking about anything unemotional would get him a simple response.

“I don’t care. Not hungry.” His baby kicked again twice under his ribs, earning a dissatisfied moan from its parent. “Gods!”, he wailed, gripping at his stomach.

Prompto looked him over, concerned for him. “Noct, what’s wrong? Do you want me to get Keith?”

Oh no, that was the wrong thing to say… Noctis lost it.

“Leave me alone!”, he shouted, throwing the covers off, flailing to try to sit up straight. “Why would I want that bastard anywhere NEAR me right now?!”

Prompto flinched. “I… don’t know, I just thought maybe he could help if you were in pain, Noct. He knows a lot about-”

“He’s the reason I’m like this in the first place!” Laying his body back down carefully, he panted hard, the flash of anger in his sapphires scared the blonde. “Just let me sleep…”

Prompto said nothing, letting that silence grow even deeper between them. He held back his tears, trying to stay calm as he tenderly rubbed Noctis’s sore, achy back when he felt the prince wince at his touch.

“Don’t touch me,” he growled, lightly kicking at Prompto’s thigh.

Prompto jerked his hand away, coming back to caress his belly as he pondered what to say or do now.

A few seconds later, their door creaked open, making Prompto jump and bolt back over to his bed. He didn’t dare to turn and look at whose heavy feet just entered the room, that deep, burly tone was enough to make his skin crawl.

“Morning, my boys,” the man acknowledged them both with a grin that hinted at way too much this early in the morning. He glanced between them, frowning when he saw Noctis curled up under the covers still. “Noctis? Time to wake up, beauty.”

No answer.

Sighing, he strode over to Noctis’s bed and bent down to speak close to his ear. “No attitude, Noctis, remember? We talked about this,” he purred those words in one hot, slow breath over the prince’s head, getting a sleepy grunt in response.

“But… I didn’t say good morning either, Keith,” Prompto objected, fearing what the man would do if Noctis kept quiet.

Keith turned toward Prompto with a smile that made him shudder. The man knelt down and placed his warm, calloused palms over the blonde’s bare thighs, lightly stroking them. “Yes, my beautiful boy. How are you this morning?”

Prompto swallowed the moan that he almost gasped. “P-pretty good. I could eat something,” he said, nervously thrumming his fingers on his belly.

Humming, Keith slid his hands up to caress over the blonde’s baby bump. “And how’s my little bundle of joy in here? I don’t feel anything yet.”

Prompto couldn’t help the giggle he let out as Keith lifted up the sweater and smoothed over his belly with gentle motions. “Ah ha ha… y-you missed it, actually. Um, it kicked a few minutes ago,” he hesitantly replied, attempting to keep a straight face.

“Really?” He sounded so excited, but it sounded so wrong in Prompto’s ears. “Was it a soft kick? Or a hard one? It didn't hurt, did it?”

Prompto squirmed as Keith’s lewd hands roamed further over his hips and across his lower back, feeling every inch of his achievement. The blonde whined breathily, pushing on Keith’s arms to get him off. “Keith, please. Please… stop now.”

“But I need to feel how your body has changed since this little one has grown bigger now. It’s made such beautiful curves everywhere...” he growled lustily, kneading the blonde’s squishy, ample hips as he pressed a sloppy kiss to his swelling middle.

“Ungh, Keith… please…,” he moaned, letting his head fall back on his shoulder. The baby kicked again; the warmth of Keith’s kiss made it stir, knowing its father was close by. “D-did you feel it?”

“Mm-hm… I did, Prompto. Godsdamn, my boy… you’re gorgeous,” he purred, laying his head on Prompto’s belly, his hands coming to rest on his sides. “But enough fondling for right now. I need to wake up the sleepy prince.” He slowly retrieved his curious hands from Prompto and came back to Noctis, who still slumbered beneath the blankets.

“Wait, Keith,” Prompto tugged on the man’s shirt shirt. “Can you let him sleep, please? He had a hard time falling asleep last night.”

Keith paid no mind to the young blonde’s plea as he settled a quarter of his weight over Noctis’s back, making him gasp out of sleep. “Noctis, sit up. I want you to come eat the breakfast I’ve made for you two,” he said as calmly as he could, brushing a few raven strands from his ear. He leaned down to nibble his lobe.

The prince squirmed drowsily, kicking at Keith’s backside. “Get off of me,” he whined, inching toward the other side of the bed.

“Noctis, my little beauty, why do you insist on making this difficult?” He climbed over him and yanked the covers back, causing Noctis to flinch and flip onto his back.

But as soon as his back fell flat against the soft mattress, he arched in pain. “Shit! Ow, gods!” He reached back to grasp where the pain shot up his spine, while his other hand held his belly.

Prompto’s breath caught in his throat as he watched Noctis writhe and pant, while Keith only grinned, hovering over him. “Keith, don’t. Please leave him alone!”

“What’s the matter, Noctis? How’s my baby?” He reached down to hold Noctis’s hands over his bump. “Let me feel it.”

“No! Get the hell away from me!” Noctis tried to rip his hands out from the man’s grip, but Keith was just too strong.

Keith brought the prince’s hands up, smiling viciously. “It’s time to get up and start the day, my boy. But first, I want to feel the little one…”

After a few more desperate tugs, Noctis freed his hands and on fearful impulse, summoned a handgun. He pointed it right at the man’s face.

“Don’t,” Keith warned, his voice dangerously low. “Don’t do it, my Noctis.”

Panting hard, his heart pounded in his ears as he cocked the gun, ready to shoot. “Get away from me…” His voice was no higher than a murmur as all his fears and the painful, torturous six months replayed in his mind. “Don’t touch me.”

“Don’t,” Keith growled, slowly inching his hands closer to grab the gun from him. “Drop the gun, Noctis.” He moved to bridge his towering torso over Noctis’s middle. “Now.

Noctis’s dilated sapphire eyes darted from Keith to Prompto, then back to the man, who had him pinned beneath his large, intimidating frame. He made a squeak, wincing as Keith forced his back onto the bed. “Stop, get off me…” He couldn't hold the gun steady anymore; his hands shaking horribly.

“Noctis…”, the man purred, leaning down to capture Noctis’s lips in a deep kiss, attempting to loosen his grip on the gun. He let his heavy body hover just above the prince’s swelling belly, tenderly caressing it as his hungry tongue claimed all of Noctis’s mouth.

“Mmph!” Noctis struggled and flailed as the man pressed him further into the mattress, his back cracking numerous times. He wailed feebly against the man’s dominating lips, starting to feel the rising burning in his spine. Unable to keep up this losing battle, he began to sob as a last resort to get Keith to release him.

Keith painstakingly slowly slipped his tongue out of Noctis’s swollen lips with a satisfied smack of his own, stringing a thick thread of saliva across the prince’s oversized, dark gray sweater. “Oh, Noctis… my lovely, beautiful Noctis, please. Just drop the gun, and this will be over.”

With a desperate gasp, Noctis let the handgun fizzle out of his shaky hands, bringing them up to weakly push on Keith’s chest. “Just stop! I dropped it… please…” The searing pain in his back became worse, feeling like a stabbing hot iron pressing into his spine. “Please!”

Keith relented, picking himself right up off of the prince, only to start undoing his belt. “You know I don’t want to have to do this,” he pretended to sound devastated, that sadistic grin shadowing his features again. “If you had just done what I asked, we wouldn’t be in this position, now would we?”

Prompto couldn’t just sit by any longer as his friend was brutally assaulted in the most vile of ways again. He stood up from the bed. “No!”, he shouted as he jumped onto Keith's back, trying to pull him away from Noctis. “Leave him alone!”

Not even a moment later, Keith forcefully shrugged Prompto off his broad shoulders, sending him hurtling to the floor with a hard slam.

The wind was knocked right out of him as he landed on his back, his head flung against the wall. He groaned, doubling over on his side from the pain that ached through his entire middle; his hands gripped protectively at his belly as his brain was jostled with terrible throbbing. “Noct…”

As soon as the man’s heavy cock flipped out of his trousers, he went for Noctis’s legs to force them apart, getting Noctis to mewl in terror. Licking his lips, he pressed his length up against the prince’s thigh while he rubbed his sweaty palms over his baby bump. “Noctis, why. Why must you fight me?”

“My back! Please, my back…”, Noctis cried out. “Stop, please! Dammit, please, help me… it hurts!” He panicked when he saw Prompto writhing in pain on the floor. “Prompto…?”

Prompto struggled to catch his breath. “Noct… Keith, please,” he wheezed. “Please, help… his back hurts.”

Keith stopped. He slowly drew back from Noctis and studied his form. The prince’s whole face glistened with sweat, his sweater had slipped down, exposing his shoulder, his deep blue eyes were clouded over with horror… yet the only thing the man was fixated on, was his swelling belly that held his growing seed.

Noctis shut his eyes and arched again as the pain pinched at the sensitive nerves along his spine. “Ow, gods… shit. Uhn…”

“Noctis.”

The prince hesitantly opened his blue, red-rimmed orbs and glared at his torturous captor, who wore a warm smile this time.

“Your back must hurt from the strain of the baby weighing on your spine, my boy,” he said softly, his palms tenderly smoothing over his belly. “Let me go get you something for the pain.” He kissed Noctis’s bump and moved off the bed, pulling his trousers back on.

“Noct, you… okay?”, Prompto held his belly as he strained his way to his two feet again.

“Oh, my boy, I’m so sorry,” the man apologized, coming to snag Prompto’s lips in a short but sweet kiss. The blonde whined against him before he pulled away from him, leaving the room for some painkillers. “I’ll be back in a minute, my boys.”

Relieved that he finally left them alone in their room, Noctis braced himself as he sat up with a hand gripping his belly. He felt a very strong kick from the inside as he leaned over his legs. “It’s not my fault I hate your dad…” he sobbed, mumbling to his baby.

Prompto tearfully took a seat beside him on the bed, placing a gentle hand over Noctis’s. “Noct? You… okay, buddy?” His voice came out hoarsely, just above a whisper.

Noctis hid his face in his hands. “Why do you like him so much…?”

The blonde’s face contorted with confusion. “Like him…? What do you… mean? I don’t like him all, Noct! Why would you say that?”

“He doesn’t ever threaten you anymore… and you’re all he ever talks about. Why is he so gentle with YOU…?”

The way Noctis spat out his last word hit Prompto in the heart. It occurred to him then, why his best friend was so upset and why he constantly ignored and pushed him away. “Noct, I don’t understand… are you angry with me?”

Noctis sighed, a quiver on his breath. “Why are you so nice to him? What gives you the right to be treated so damn… good?!”

“Noct,” Prompto whimpered, “it’s because of that time r-right? When I… and you were…”

“Damn the Six, Prompto, you held me down for him!” His yell held so much contempt and so much hurt. “You let him… take me, use me… gods, Prompto, how could you do that to me?!”

Prompto cried aloud, feeling the heavy guilt that he had been carrying inside since six months ago. He had never meant to hurt Noctis in any way, ever, but being captive in a situation where winning brought pain and torture, it was almost certain that the only way to survive meant doing the exact opposite of what his heart cried out for.

There was a very good reason why he had done it. Why he had listened to Keith and done just what he said. He had a feeling Noctis saw it as betrayal, and he wondered if his friend would ever forgive him. It was more due to the horror of this savage man’s intentions that lead Prompto to do what he did, than his own safety.

All they had right now, was each other. They couldn’t let a rift like this set them apart, nor let this man ruin them to the point that they gave in to him, and gave up on one another. It was bound to come out sooner or later, but Prompto wished he had said something months ago…

“...Noct, please listen to me…,” he said, taking Noctis’s hands in his own away from his face. “Do you wanna know why… why I did what he said? Why I held you?”

Noctis shook his head, his breaths uneven and shallow. “No… just get away… leave me be.” 

“Noct, just-”

“I said no!” His teary, sapphire eyes flashed a frustration that reflected all the hurt in his heart. He wanted Prompto to leave him, to let him be alone in his anguish. Yet, the prince still hadn’t pulled his hands out of his friend’s cradling, tender palms. “Prompto, I said… gods, Prompto…” He started in tears again.

Prompto scooted closer, grabbing Noctis up in a gentle embrace. “Noct, I did it… because I had to protect you…”

“P-protect me? Prompto, he-”

“-raped you, I know, but Noct… what would he have done to you if I hadn’t stepped in to stop his rage?” The blonde looked deeper into his friend’s gaze, finally seeing just how desolate Noctis had truly become. “He could’ve killed you, Noct, he could’ve k-killed you. If you were dead all because I didn’t do something that I could’ve done to help you, I’d… kill myself, Noct. I wouldn’t be able to go on without you, I couldn’t take the torture and the pain of being alone and pregnant with this bastard.”

Listening to and nursing on every word that Prompto poured out, Noctis saw how the blonde’s soul ran parallel to his own. They were in the same situation, facing the same terrible danger. How could he have been so blind to Prompto’s sacrifices for him? It wasn’t that Prompto wasn’t afraid, no, of course he was; it was the fact that he put forward his own bravery even in the face of an inescapable fate, just so he could build a wall between his best friend and this maniac.

Through everything, Prompto was the one who had kept his head, devising ways he could play around Keith’s cruel intentions all the while keeping Noctis just out of reach. He had failed in some aspects, but at least the prince was alive. 

Beaten, raped, and six months pregnant, but alive.

“I just want you to know, Noct, the reason he picks on you so badly, is because you fight him. You fight and you don’t let up, even when he threatens to cripple you! And I just… can’t let him do that to you,” Prompto sniffed, his tone softer and quieter as he held Noctis at arms’ length and pressed a light kiss to his wet cheek. “Don’t fight him anymore, Noct…”

Noctis shook, his tears staining his cheeks. “But, Prompto-”

“No,” Prompto rejected firmly. “Don’t fight, Noct. We need to stay alive… if we’re ever gonna get out of here, we have to stay alive… for Ignis and Gladio, r-right?” He smiled tearfully at his prince, hoping he would agree with him and resolve to do as he pleaded of him. “Please, Noct? You’re my rock, buddy…”

“Prompto,” Noctis sobbed, wincing as the pain stabbed at his back again. “I’m just so… s-so…” He shut his eyes and leaned into Prompto’s breast. “I’m just so broken…”

Prompto held him close, afraid if he let go, he wouldn’t ever have this chance again. “I know, Noct,” he hiccuped through heavy sobs. “I know… me too…” He gradually released his friend and wiped some tears from his face with a gentle thumb. “But we’re together. We’re broken, together, and like you said… we’ll get through this. We will… remember?”

The resolve written all over Prompto’s warm smile filled the prince’s heart with a bittersweet joy as he tried to smile back. “Yeah… I remember.”

Just then, Keith’s menacing form appeared again, strutting his way over to the boys with a cup of water and some pills in his large hand. “Move, my boy,” he tapped on Prompto’s shoulder for him to scoot over, but the blonde stood up instead.

Noctis carefully watched every move Keith made as the man took a seat beside him. He was waiting for a reprimand, a slap, a jerk of his body… something, anything forceful. But all the man did was extend his hand and show the prince the painkillers and the water.

“Take these, my boy. They’ll help with the pain.”

Noctis hesitantly picked the pills out of Keith’s palm and dropped them in his mouth.

“Good boy,” Keith said, handing him the water. “Drink now.”

Noctis gratefully swallowed the water, relishing the feeling of cool, clean water running down his scratchy, achy throat.

The man smiled kindly at the prince, peering down at his swollen middle for a moment. “Will you let me feel my little one now, Noctis?”

Taking a few easy breaths to calm down, Noctis stared into Keith’s brown eyes. As much as he dreaded the idea of letting this man touch him, he was going to keep just what he promised to Prompto.

The only thing that was going to free them from this bastard. Their only hope.

“Yeah,” Noctis murmured, slowly lowering his body back down on the bed. “It’s kicking right now…”

“Is it? Well, let me feel.”

Keith leaned down over Noctis’s crossed legs and put his head against his swelling belly, holding him steady with his warm palms on his hips. Tiny jabs poked at the man’s head, making him chuckle as he kneaded at Noctis’s lower back.

“”Ungh,” Noctis moaned, letting his head fall back as the firmness of Keith’s muscular hands massaging his aching nerves had the prince wanting more. “That feels… nice.”

“Ah, Noctis, but we haven’t time for that I’m afraid,” he purred, sliding his hands down to caress the prince’s pale, naked, thighs. “Maybe next time, hmm?”

Noctis hummed in response as Keith withdrew his hands, pressing one last momentous kiss to his belly before he sat up straight.

“Now, there’s something I need to tell you boys,” he glanced up at Prompto and patted his knee, beckoning for the young blonde to sit on him.

Prompto complied, straddling the man’s bulky thigh.

He smiled at them both, happily bouncing Prompto on his knee. “I’m going to be taking a trip, my boys, and I want you to come with me.”

Noctis stole a nervous glance with his best friend. “T-trip? Where?”

“A town. A village, to be precise. It’s a beautiful little place, full of wildlife and warmer temperatures. Perfect for raising children,” he nodded at the blonde’s belly.

“Sounds nice, but,” Prompto objected, rubbing over his middle. “I’ve never heard of a place like that in Lucis.”

Keith smirked at him, glancing at Noctis from the corner of his gaze. “Because it’s not in Lucis, my beautiful boy.”

The fear began to rise in Noctis’s heart once more as he had a feeling where this was going. “If it’s not in Lucis, then… where?”

“It’s farther from here, my pretty prince, much farther than any place you know of. It’s on an entirely different continent,” he stated simply, his voice remaining a blank, emotionless air.

His words hit Prompto like a bullet. Not in Lucis? A totally different continent? This was so much worse than anything they’d faced so far: he was planning to take them away. Away from their home, their safe haven. He was stealing them. “H-how far is it…?”

Sensing their hopelessness, Keith grinned, grabbing both of their hands in each of his. “At least a month’s ride away, my boy. But we’ll be together, right?”

Noctis scowled, knowing he had just mocked them with Prompto’s comforting words, turning them into sarcastic drabbles. “You… you can’t… you can’t take us away from here! You won’t!”

“Keith,” Prompto whimpered, “please, you can’t drag us out of Lucis. Noctis is the Chosen King, he needs to fulfill his calling! If he doesn’t, even if you take us somewhere else, we’ll be living in darkness forever!”

“Not a problem, my boy. It’s no trouble, we’ll be fine! What’s a little darkness?” His laugh darkened the atmosphere as both boys realized that there was no getting out of this. If they left Lucis now, there was no way they’d ever return. Keith would definitely make absolutely sure of that.

And Ignis and Gladio? They would never see them again. Separation seemed worse than being dead, even if they were to see them again one day. That day was already too far away…

Prompto began to regret even coming out here in the first place. Why hadn’t they just kept going? Why didn’t they ignore the blonde’s wishes to see the chocobos and continue their journey? He felt like this whole thing was his fault.

“So,” the man said, helping Prompto off his knee as he moved to peck Noctis on the lips before standing up. “We’ll be leaving in one week. I just need a little time to shut the shop down and unhitch the chocobos. Plus, then I have to get everything together and arranged just so…”

“But,” Noctis protested, an inkling of desperation in his voice. “Won’t you be coming back to the shop? I mean, it’s yours, right? Why would you leave it?”

Prompto nodded. “Yeah, what about the chocobos? Don’t they need to be cared for?”

Keith chuckled again, pulling the blonde in for a kiss. “My boys, no, I don’t need it. The shop can rot in hell for all I care… and as for the chocobos? They’ve always taken care of themselves. I just give ‘em free feed.”

Prompto gasped, falling back on his bed as Noctis stared at the man in horror.

“The ocean calls us, my beautiful boys… far away, drifting into the distance, over the waves…,” he teased, heading out of the room. “And just so you know, I expect you both to be ready come Monday morning,” he winked, shutting the door behind him.

“Gods…no…” Noctis tightly held his baby bump, the little life inside kicking at his palms. “No! Oh gods, Prompto…”

Prompto hugged his knees to his swelling middle, rocking back and forth as he stared blankly at nothing. “Noct… we can’t. We can’t go… we can’t go… we can’t go… we can’t… we can’t…” He repeated it over and over, fearing the prospect of being taken away from home forever.

Noctis shut his eyes, willing himself not to panic. But he knew… he knew this was impossible to escape… yet he just couldn’t face it right now.

This couldn’t be the end for them.

 

•••••••••••••••

That night, they slept in the same bed, holding each other close. It was so quiet since the weather had subsided once again, that they could only hear the soft beating of their hearts in rhythm. They slept without a word about anything, unable to face their inevitable fate.

They let their minds wander, remembering all the places they had visited together on their journey. Recalling the wonderful taste of Ignis’s gourmet cooking, Gladio’s reassuring, useful camping skills that helped them sleep in peace, knowing if anything did happen, the big man would be the first to jump in to protect them from harm.

That wide open world of Lucis, their home, already seemed too distant to reach out and touch in their dreams, even if they were only a ways away from the winding road they left months before.

Prompto snuggled close to Noctis, and Noctis huddled closer to Prompto as their body heat mingled, filling their cores with warmth and the promise of togetherness that they would share; however long they would be allowed to remain at each other’s side.

Their swelling bellies were cradled, Noctis’s being spooned by Prompto’s arms, and Prompto’s cuddled by Noctis’s arms as they slumbered the evening away. The babes nestled inside of them prodded at each other… maybe in an attempt to take hold of the other, for some comforting reassurance that they had someone to hold onto.

Someone to cling to in the dark.

 

••••••••••••••••

***Six months earlier…***

“Iggy, you got any more meat?”

Ignis checked the tiny makeshift spit of twigs over the small fire. “No, I’m afraid that’s all we have.”

Gladio shivered, wiping his hands off. “Damn, that bites. It was way too good.” He groaned, moving to get up. “We were pretty lucky that deer trotted over here.”

“Indeed, that was a true blessing. I only wish I could’ve prepared more,” the advisor sighed, crowding close to the fire. “I can’t recall the last time we ate.”

Gladio sat down mere inches from the crackling blaze that echoed off the walls of the cavern. “Must’ve been forever ago… last thing I ate was Cup Noodles,” he grumbled. “It ain’t the most filling when you’re starving to death.”

Ignis tucked his scarf further up around his neck, trying to preserve the warmth of the fire on his body. “It’s so bloody cold, even in here…”

“Yeah, wonder if that storm's ever gonna let up. You think that bastard’s still alive?”

“I can’t say for sure. He seemed to know his way around here quite well on his own,” Ignis remarked, scooting closer to the fire. “We were the ones falling behind.”

The shield coughed, sneezed, and cleared his throat before responding. “How long’s it been, Iggy? Since he left us out here?”

Ignis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, sniffling snot back up. “Two weeks.”

“That long already? Geez, feels like we’ve been out here for months. How’s our water supply?”

Ignis reluctantly pulled his hand out from his arms and reached for their canteen. “Terrible. And we can’t keep relying on melting snow because it doesn't produce enough sufficient for us to stay alive out here,” he glanced over at his friend with the most devastated look. “We may not make it back after all, Gladio.”

“Unless, some indescribable miracle comes along again,” the shield stated blatantly, rubbing his hands together to generate heat. “I wonder how Noct and Prompto are doing right now. If he’s done anything to them, I’ll murder him myself.”

“I don’t know, but I hope and pray they are alright. Unharmed, if logical. But considering how ruthless and merciless Keith was with us, I doubt he would be anything less with them,” his reasoning annoyed even himself.

“Gotta keep the faith,” Gladio smirked, patting the advisor on the shoulder. “You’re all I’ve got, Iggy.”

Ignis smiled back. “Indeed.”

“Have I told you how grateful I am that you took those bullets out?”

“About a hundred times, Gladio.”

The older man chuckled. “Well, I’ll say it again: thanks, Iggy, for saving my life.”

“Of course,” the advisor replied. “And I haven’t lost faith, it’s just… well…”

Gladio lowered his head, thinking the same thing. “I know. You just want to find them alive and unharmed. Me too, Iggy.”

“If I don’t, I suspect I might fall victim to insanity,” he laughed. Just having Gladio beside him again was reassuring enough that everything was going to work out alright. And if not, then at least they fought through every moment together.

Ignis couldn’t even begin to imagine what the rancher would want with the boys. Supposing he wasn’t an imperial, it begged an even harder question: why would he want them so desperately that he would threaten to kill the prince’s shield? Not even the advisor could put a name to the man’s possible motivations.

Both Ignis and Gladio had considered the man of heightened strength and physical ability, trudging through the 3-foot mounds of snow like they were made of air. What they hadn’t considered was what the man had planned to do with such talent as that. Ignis berated himself day after day for not following through on that impulse he had their first night.

Perhaps he had a momentary lapse of judgement, leading him to believe this man had good intentions when in reality, he was most likely only displaying what they thought they knew about him: kind, warm and considerate.

Oh, how wrong they were. Nothing could have prepared them for the consequences that resulted from their trust in him.

Ignis’s thoughts were cut off as a chill wind slipped in through a tiny gap of the opening to the cave and made him shudder. “Gladio, do you p-perhaps have another scarf or blanket? Anything?”

Gladio took his own heavy coat off of his body and draped it gently over his friend’s shivering form. “Take mine, Iggy. You need it more.”

Ignis shook his head, holding the coat out toward him. “Gladio, I can’t accept this. You must keep warmer,” he protested.

“Just take it, Iggy. I’m good,” he said, holding his hands over the radiant flame. “You’ve got less body mass.”

Ignis huffed, holding it out further. “I insist. Take it back, Gladio.”

“Wear it, Iggy!”

“Nonsense, I will not! You’re still weak!” He shoved the coat towards him.

“Iggy,” the older man’s voice rose, angry with the conversation. “Dammit, just take it or so help me I’ll-”

“Kweh!”

Both men fell silent.

“The hell was that?” Gladio whispered.

“Shh!” Ignis bent down to the entrance of the cave to hear over the roar of the wind.

“Kweh!”

“By the gods, Gladio, I believe that is a chocobo,” a shred of hope shone in the advisor’s green eyes. “We may have a chance yet!” He hurried to his feet and grabbed a scrap of discarded meat from their meal. “We have to tame it and ride it back to the shop.”

Gladio struggled to get up, still heaving with every breath. “You think we’ll be accurate enough?”

“We’ve got to be,” he said sternly. “Gladio, this is our only chance. If we don’t take it, this cave shall be the death of us.” He motioned for Gladio to follow him through the short hole in the wall, putting his finger to his lips. “Be very still, and don’t make any sounds.”

“Iggy, I doubt any noise I make would scare it off. If it’s not afraid of the blizzard, what makes you think it’ll be scared of me?”

“Difference in species,” Ignis teased.

“Funny,” he mumbled.

As soon as they stepped out of the cave, the howling storm froze them to their core. The snow had almost covered the entrance, leaving only about a foot and a half of space for them to crawl through. Ignis got through with minimal resistance while Gladio, being as big as he is, encountered more difficulty.

“Damn, could they make this place any smaller?!”, the older man grumbled, pushing on the wall of the rocky outcropping with all of his strength. Only his upper body was free; the rest of him had a ways to go.

“Kweh!”, the chocobo called again, craning its neck to observe its surroundings, eyeing a creeping Ignis as if he were no threat to anyone. “Kweh, kweh!”

If anything, it seemed to be calling for the advisor. But Ignis wasn’t that gullible, understanding at least some animal behavior. No matter how an animal called to a human and acted friendly and inviting, it could all just be some ruse for a quick tease before trotting off in a rush.

Chocobos were born somewhat timid anyway, but Ignis wasn’t about to let their only chance slip out of his grip by being careless.

The fluffy, gray chocobo shifted its bulky behind towards the advisor; the frigid, howling wind whipping its heavy downy feathers everywhere. “Kweh!”, it beckoned to Ignis.

“Now, don’t move, you fine creature… please, hold it there…” He approached carefully, shivering as he held the piece of meat out to lure it closer. “Come here now…”

The large bird stepped closer, seemingly unafraid of the man. It was only about two feet away from him, inching forward steadily. “Kweh, kweh!”

“Iggy?” Gladio called, finally pulling himself out of the hole. “You got it?”

“Hush, Gladio!” He whispered harshly, halting his steps for a moment to look back at his friend, making sure he got out alright. “I’ve almost got it…-”

As soon as he turned around, he came face to face with the chocobo, dropping the piece of meat. “Kweh…”

Ignis gasped, falling back into the snow.

Gladio scrambled for his side, panting as he picked his way through the heavy, wet whiteness. “Iggy! You alright?”

“I’m f-fine,” he replied, dusting himself off as he caught his breath. “It… came right up to me.”

“And it’s still here,” the shield wheezed.

Ignis met the big bird’s curious, dark eyes. He reached out his hand, hoping to pet its intimidating plume.

Immediately, the chocobo rubbed its head against Ignis’s palm. “Kweeehh…”

Gladio squinted against the wind. “Iggy, I think it likes you,” he mumbled, reaching his hand out as the chocobo turned its attention to the bigger man. It nudged him and knelt at his knees, offering him the chance to ride it.

Ignis’s mouth dropped open in awe. “Gladio… could this be the same chocobo you rode before?”

Gladio eyed the chocobo, smiling as he threw his leg over its side, petting its coarse neck. “No clue, Iggy. But… c’mon. If it’s gonna give us a ride out, we oughta take it.”

“Are you certain, Gladio? Do you have any idea where we’re headed?”

“I’ll let the him or… her, decide,” he resolved, extending a hand toward the advisor. “Iggy?”

Ignis mounted the huge bird, holding onto Gladio’s shoulders as he shuddered from the wind whipping on his back. “A true blessing, Gladio… a true blessing.” He was on the verge of tears as Gladio flicked the reins.

“C’mon, buddy, let’s head out of here. It’s all you,” he whispered close to its head, reassuringly.

“Kweh…” The bulky, tundra-bred chocobo sped off, gliding across the snow without breaking the surface of the drifts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, isn't that sweet? I love chocobos! Iggy and Gladdy finally caught a break!
> 
> Keith is really pulling out all the stops for them too, huh? Poor babies... the 4 of them.
> 
> Let me know what you think of the timeskip! Is 6 months too far or just right?
> 
> Thanks for your patience and for reading along with me!
> 
> Love to my lovelies!! <3


	9. Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thanks for your patience!! I've finally finished the next chapter and it's leading up to the big departure, hence the title...
> 
> Enjoy!

“Hey, Noct?”

Noctis sat across from him at the kitchen table as he picked at the deer meat in front of him, scowling at the odor. “Yeah?”

Prompto patted his swelled middle, afraid to ask this very question. “What do you think it’ll be like… at that place that Keith said he’s taking us?”

Blue eyes avoided the blonde’s gaze. “I dunno…,” he muttered, dropping his fork.

“You think it’ll be nice there? Kinda like, um… the parks in the Crown City?” His tone gave a sense of some happiness, although forced. “They were always nice and warm.”

Noctis winced at his baby’s kicks. The little one had been kicking rather hard today. “Can we not talk about it? I wanna go back to sleep…”

“Yeah, we don’t have to if… you don’t want to…”

The front door opened, letting a chill wind sneak in. Both boys shivered from the intruding cold as Keith stepped in with an old, worn axe. “Ah, there’s some more wood for the fire now, boys. I hope you ate plenty of breakfast,” he sighed blissfully, out of breath.

Prompto slightly smiled at the man, backing his chair away from the table. “So, we’ll stay warm?” Noctis kept his head down, gripping his belly bump.

“Yes, my boy. Nice and toasty,” Keith smiled back warmly, walking over to the sullen prince. “Noctis,” he purred, kissing his raven head as he patted his middle. “My Noctis…”

The prince flinched in the slightest, shrugging him off with a sullen glare. Yawning, he moved to get up out of the chair and padded down the hall to his and Prompto’s shared bedroom.

“And you, my beautiful boy,” he smirked at the blonde, pressing a kiss to his head as well before kneeling to caress his swelling middle. “I love you.”

Prompto froze for a moment. Did he really just say that? Love? How in the hell could he possibly love them? “What?”

Keith looked into his confused face. “I said, ‘I love you,’ Prompto. Anything wrong?”

“Uh, yeah. How can you love us, Keith? We’re your prisoners, your captives!”

“I believe I just proved my point, Prompto. I love you, and that’s all there is to it,” he uttered, so low and deep that it made the blonde shudder. “Now, have you and Noctis begun packing yet?”

Prompto shook his head.

Keith sighed, standing up and setting his axe beside the wood stove. Prompto couldn’t take his eyes off it, there was something that seemed so dangerous about Keith holding an axe. But he tried to push it out of his head as the man spoke to him again. “Why? I told you we’d be leaving Monday morning, and here it is Sunday already.”

The blonde fidgeted, suddenly nervous under his gaze. “Um, we don’t ha-have anything to pack…”

Keith slapped his forehead. “Ha, of course. I just forgot, my boy. Don’t worry though, we’ll have a nice life over there… just you, me and Noctis.”

“What about them?” Prompto motioned at his belly, feeling the tiny jabs from inside. The baby probably kicked happily in response to being fed. “The babies?”

“Ah,” the man came back over and hugged the young blonde’s middle. “Yes, the babies. How could I forget them?”

Prompto silently wished he would, then maybe they’d have a chance of escaping. But ever since reaching their fifth month, Keith kept a constant eye on at least one of them, being absolutely certain he had his foot on them at all times. Plus, that’s when the babies began kicking and the man wasn’t going to miss that for anything.

The week wore on, feeling to both boys like the longest week in their entire lives; dreading the very idea that they would soon be leaving Lucis, their home, behind. There just had to be a way… a way to get out of this. Noctis still barely spoke a word to his friend, the suspense before their departure was indeed killing him inside. They had both promised each other that they were going to get through all of this and back to Ignis and Gladio.

So why wasn’t Noctis trying? Why wasn’t he thinking of ways to escape this? Prompto was just as afraid as he was, maybe more he didn’t know. But Noctis was always the stronger one, wickedly cunning in desperate situations. The blonde couldn’t understand the prince right now, and it was the first time in his life since meeting Noctis that he truly felt alone.

“So,” Keith’s loud tone rocked Prompto out of his thoughts. “I’m gonna go wash up and pack a few more things. I’ve already shut the shop down and released the chocobos… all that’s left is to make sure I have you boys,” he finished with a wide grin. A little too happy for Prompto. “Why don’t you join my little prince and get some more shut-eye? We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

Prompto watched bitterly as Keith’s bulk strode down the hall to his own room. ‘His little prince…’ All of a sudden, Prompto felt extremely possessive of his best friend, not wanting to let that man near him ever again. But how was a tiny, pregnant, useless boy going to protect anybody? He berated himself for getting them both into this as he hobbled off the chair and shuffled down to where Noctis slept.

It was funny how their room smelled so much like Noctis when he walked in, kind of like cinnamon and cucumber soap. Careful not to wake the exhausted prince, Prompto slowly slid his body underneath the warm covers, snuggling up to Noctis for more warmth and the comfort he provided.

At least for as long as they remained together…

Noctis let out a little moan as he felt the kicks of Prompto’s baby pressed up against his back. The blonde shushed his belly, gently caressing its roundness. “Stay quiet, little one, okay? We don’t want to wake them up.”

“You already did…”, the prince mumbled, pushing off the bed to reposition himself. “Sleep in your own bed, Prompto.”

“But,” Prompto protested, “I wanna sleep with you, please?”

Noctis shot him a very unhappy look from his weary blues. “Why? Your bed’s way softer than mine, and your thing kicks me too much.” He turned away from the blonde in a huff, making the bed bounce.

Prompto raised a brow, glancing down at his belly and then back at Noctis. “My ‘thing’? You mean my baby?”

“Uh huh, whatever you wanna call it.”

Prompto thought it awfully strange how the prince was calling them ‘things’. They were babies, not things. They were living, breathing pieces of themselves and the blonde greatly respected that; he felt that his baby needed him, no matter the outcome of this hopeless situation. Noctis had to understand that too… right?

“Noct?”

Noctis yawned, forcing it out in a heavy sigh. “What?”

“How come you’re calling them things? They’re babies, they’re a part of us. Don’t you understand that? They need us, so why are you so angry with them? It’s not their fault,” his accusatory tone angered the prince as he bolted upright and glared at his friend.

“No, it’s not their fault, it’s yours! Why did you have to go see those damn chocobos anyway?! They weren’t anything special! The reason we’re stuck in this damn place and brutally knocked up is because of you, Prompto. You did this! Ignis and Gladio are probably dead because of you, and we’ll be next. You really think, after we have these things, that he’s gonna wanna keep two mopey 20 year olds with him?!”

Tears threatened to pour out of Prompto’s blue eyes, but he tried to swallow the lump in his throat and his growing frustration as he hung on every word that flew out of Noctis’s mouth.

“Oh, that’s right, you like him and he likes you! So of course he’s gonna take you, he’s gonna need a little whore to keep around to take care of these little shits for him while he’s away. I bet you’ll be glad to do that!” He picked up a pillow and violently threw it across the room as he let out a yell.

“Shut up! Just shut up, Noct!” Prompto smacked him in the shoulder, struggling to jump out of the bed. “I hate him just as much as you do! I hate this whole situation! I hate this place, I hate him and I hate that we came to this fucking thing in the first place! You wanna blame me?! Go ahead! I’m the ONLY one who’s been TRYING to get us out of here! All you do is sit on your lazy, royal ass and sleep all day while I take your place in HIS bed! You know how much it hurts to be fucked FIVE times in one day?! You should try it sometime, maybe he’ll fuck some sense into you!!” He couldn’t hold back anymore as the tears flowed freely down his freckled face. “You should be grateful I’m even here… if it weren’t for me, you’d have probably been dead a long time ago…”

He flopped into his own bed, his breaths hitching as wretched sobs tore out of his throat; he began falling asleep to the sound of his own whimpers.

Noctis glanced back over his shoulder at the crying blonde. “I don’t need this and I don’t need you, Prompto. I can get out of this myself.”

Prompto winced, shutting his eyes at the venom that dripped from Noctis’s hurtful words. “I wish you’d told me that before I joined the stupid Crownsguard in the first place…” The moment he uttered that, he regretted the whole thing. Why was this happening to them? They were falling apart when they needed each other most.

“Maybe you should’ve stayed home that day then,” he spat back. “I would’ve been fine with just Ignis and Gladio. Before you, we always had the best of times… no need to worry about the annoying, blabbermouth blondie who takes too many stupid pictures and cracks the lamest jokes all the time.”

His tears fell without pause. Everything he was and everything he knew that comforted him… that he knew he could depend on… were gone. The bitterness in the insults that Noctis hurled at him was too much. He couldn’t find any more words to say… all the anger drained from his heart and was replaced by the most desolate of human existence.

“Don’t wanna miss the chance to sail with your friend, Keith. Better get some sleep.” Noctis sighed and fell asleep.

Prompto was sure he didn’t sleep for one second that night. The night before they were to be taken away from home.

 

••••••••••••••••••••••

**The Present**

Gladio slammed his fist on the map in front of them, making the table rattle. “I don’t get it, Iggy. We checked every damn corner of this snowy hell and still nothing. If Keith’s got a cabin out there, it must be invisible ‘cuz we haven’t seen a thing.”

Ignis studied the map with a hand on his hip, squinting hard like he was trying to see something that hadn’t been there before. “I know, Gladio. We’ve been searching for six months and I just don’t understand why we haven’t found anything.”

“You don’t think they’re dead… right? I mean, why would he go to all that trouble of kidnapping them and then killing them?”

Ignis sighed. “I don’t believe Keith had that in mind exactly. I recall the way he looked at them, spoke to them… He seemed the most gentle man in the world, scooping Prompto into his arms and carrying him off to bed, but…” He gaze turned south. “How very wrong I was, Gladio.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Iggy. You couldn’t’ve known.” He clapped his friend on the shoulder, firmly rubbing it to help him keep his spirits up. “Even if you did, what could you have done about it?”

“I don’t know… perhaps if I had…,” he trailed off, silently thanking the hunter who had prepared coffee for them, gratefully sipping the hot beverage. “I just promised that I wouldn’t let anything happen to them.”

Gladio plopped into the nearby recliner, kneading his own shoulder. “We both did. But don’t go losing hope now, Iggy, alright? We’ve got a job to do.”

“Of course,” the advisor replied. “We will find them. It’s just a matter of when…”

A few more hours of studying the map and discussing possible options left both men exhausted, feeling completely lost in an environment they knew nothing about. Gladio had reminded Ignis of when Keith mentioned something about having a cabin out there somewhere.

It would be worth a shot, if they didn’t have to risk killing themselves out in the bitter cold. There was just too much danger involved for both of them to go alone again. Sure, Keith guided them, but then they were left to fend for themselves. If it weren’t for Ignis’s quick thinking and steady hands, the prince’s shield would indeed be dead now.

This was a challenge unlike anything they had faced before, a truly desperate situation that tested so much more than brain power or clever reasoning. Even for Gladio, this tundra was a freezing, deadly wasteland; it proved to be more than his well-built body could handle. It seemed like the weather outsmarted the advisor’s every thought, swallowing his plans far beneath the heavy snowdrifts.

Wherever Noctis and Prompto were, both of their older friends hoped and prayed they were safe and warm. Unhurt and unharmed, but that seemed unlikely when it came to that brute, Keith, who made it known to both men just how he treated those he considered enemies.

Gladio had fallen into a snoring slumber, slouched deep into the leather folds of the recliner while Ignis sipped his coffee in silence beside him on a stool. His jade eyes drifted over towards that blasted map once more, seeking to have one last look in case he missed something. But he knew it would serve no use, the blinding white material making his eyes hurt.

The hunting house fell quiet, the only noise coming from Gladio’s exhaling nostrils when the front door slowly opened and in stepped a middle-aged man with dark blonde hair and a thin moustache. He wore the garb of a typical hunter, but the instant Ignis glanced up to see this man, his face shone a different story; those hazel eyes telling the advisor he had seen many things.

“Ah, good evening,” Ignis greeted him, waving a hand in his direction.

The man smiled, shrugging his coat off. “Good evening to you, good sir,” his swift drawl responding kindly. “I was wonderin’ if you could help me find some people?”

“If I can. I’m not so familiar with faces, but names I do know.”

The man stepped over toward him, cupping his hands as he heaved hot breath into them for warmth. “I’ve been lookin’ fer a Mister…” He pulled a piece of crumpled paper out of his pocket, reading it aloud. “‘Ignis Scientia and Gladiolus Amicitia?’”

“What…?”, Gladio stirred, grumbling at the mention of his name. “Who…?”

Ignis’s eyes widened, putting his hand forward. “I’m Ignis Scientia and my friend, Gladiolus is there,” he motioned his head behind him. “Why would you be looking for us?” To be honest, he was a touch skeptical about this man, asking this question hesitantly.

“I caught wind you had some friends missin’,” he explained. “Surely was I thought I’d lend you a hand. Name’s Keaton,” he said, shaking Ignis’s hand.

“Mister Keaton, a pleasure. From where did you hear this?”

Keaton cleared his throat, shuffling his heavy boots. “Didn’t hear it exactly like that, but I do know that chocobo ranch out in the woods got vandalized last week… Sunday, in fact. Took it upon myself to check it out, seein’ as the owner’s my own big brother.”

Ignis gasped. “Your… brother? Your brother’s name wouldn't happen to be Keith, would it?”

The man’s face didn’t particularly seem to light up at his brother’s name. “Yeh, that’s him, alright.”

“Was he there?!” Ignis turned frantic, hoping for the best news that Keaton had apprehended that bastard.

The shaking of the man’s head told him all he needed to know. “Nobody. Nothin’. Just an empty, hollow shell of a place, it is. Looks like a pack of garulas came in and trampled the place to all hell.”

The advisor's heart dropped. “I… see. Well, if he isn’t there, could he be at his cabin perhaps?”

Keaton cocked a brow at him, his lip upturned in a pout. “Wait, how do you know my brother? You met him b’fore?”

“Yes, actually,” Ignis nodded. “We paid a visit to his ranch 6 months ago, taking a bit of a detour from our rather… rigorous schedule. To say the least, your brother is a maniac, if you’ll pardon me.”

“Don’t pardon him, sir,” Gladio spoke up, strutting up to them. “Keith is a deadly, low-life bastard who needs the same thing done to him. He’s the one who took our friends.”

Keaton glanced between them, clearly a look of confusion etched on his face. “What?! Why would my brother do anything of the sort? Sure, he’s not the easiest man to git along with, but he’s got his good parts. Care to explain, friend?”

“Son of a bitch shot me, that’s what,” Gladio growled, turning around to lift his shirt up to show the man his scarred bullet wounds. “Left us for dead too.”

“Gladio, please,” Ignis patted his friend’s arm, willing him to be calm. “Keaton, what my friend just said is the truth: he kidnapped our younger friends and lead us to believe he would aid us in finding them, only to turn on us with a vicious lie. He shot Gladio twice and then left us to die in a cavern in the middle of a bloody blizzard.” Despite his advice to Gladio about keeping calm, the advisor began losing his nerve as he replayed that harrowing incident in his mind. “We do not wish any harm on your brother. We only hope to find our friends safe and well.”

Keaton let out a long, slow sigh, scratching the back of his dark blonde head. “So… he did it after all…,” he mumbled to himself.

“Pardon? Did you say something?”

“Yer friends… tell me, are they young girls of childbearin’ age?”

Ignis thought this was the strangest question ever, Gladio snorting at it. “Ah, no. Our friends are young boys, but they are able to bear… children…?”

The man nodded his head in understanding. “That explains it then.”

“Explains what?”, Gladio demanded. “Is he some kind of sicko or something?! What?!”

Keaton’s eyes held sorrow and sympathy as he began telling them everything he knew. “My brother… see, many years ago, he once had a family: a kind wife, who was expectin’ twins. A beautiful pair they made, each one lovin’ as much as the other. Until that day she drowned… purely an accident, mind you. But she died that day, drifting away into the waves, leavin’ Keith with a broken heart and a broken mind. He wanted those babies more than anythin’ in this world.”

“Even ten years later, he still ain’t got over it. Livin’ out in solitude at that damned ranch had him goin’ insane, runnin’ circles in his brain. I had to stop visitin’ ‘im then, his dead twins were all he talked about and it grated my nerves sumthin’ awful. I understood how he must’ve felt, but it changed him to the point to where he wasn’t my brother anymore. In fact, the last couple times I saw him, he made it clear to me and drove it through my head that he was gonna bring his twins back to life. No matter what it took.”

“I told him he was crazy, he told me I was an inconsiderate, ungrateful bastard who didn’t deserve the good graces gifted to me: my wife and four kids… I nearly broke into tears, if it hadn’t been for him shootin’ his rifle beside my head. I left that night, and never looked back.” After he finished, he lowered his head and let out a shaky sigh. “I pray fer yer friends, boys, I truly do. May the gods have mercy on ‘em, if my brother hasn’t ruined them into death, that is.”

“By the gods…” Ignis stepped back and fell into the recliner with his face in his hands. “We may already be too late, Gladio…” Tears fell through his fingers and onto his pants as he sobbed ever so quietly.

“Iggy, godsdammit… are you telling me, that bastard took our friends to knock them up?!”

“That’s what I’m tellin’ you, and I’m deeply sorry,” he offered them a sympathetic frown. “But you did say it was 6 months ago, right?”

“Right, but…”

“Then it’s possible they could still be alright. If that’s true, and knowin’ my brother way I do, they’ll be exactly 6 months bearin’ children. I know how to reach our family huntin’ cabin,” he said, glancing once more between them as Ignis lifted his tearful eyes to listen. “If you’re willin’, I’ll take ya. I’m sure yer friends would be eternally grateful.”

Gladio watched his slightly less than hopeful features warily. “Then they’re alright? Alive? And we’ll be able to find ‘em?”

“And they’ll be safe and unharmed?”, Ignis added, chiming in at the last second. “But with child? Both of them?”

Keaton put up his hand. “No promises, but I’ll git you there, if you’re ready. If it’s one thing I know about my brother…”

Both men stared at him, waiting for the rest of that sentence.

“He ain’t a patient man.”

 

••••••••••••••••••••••

The sun shone extra bright the next day as Noctis awoke with a groan to the constant jabbing of his baby’s kicks, telling him to get up. He didn’t sleep well, and had a terrible headache as he struggled to sit up with a hand on his belly. Today was the day, and he had been dreading it before it even started.

It was Monday, the day they would be leaving Lucis behind for an unknown place. He had no idea what it would be like, but had to hope for the best considering his heated argument with Prompto last night. It was crazy to think that it had even transpired the very night before their departure.

The weary prince glanced sleepily over at the blonde, surprised that he still slept with the sun shining right in his eyes. But the light of the morning had illuminated the soft glow of Prompto’s tear-stained freckled cheeks, causing Noctis to turn away in guilt. Those angry words he had spoken just hours ago rang in his head, regretting every single one as it bruised him in the heart.

If anything, Prompto needed to be comforted. To be held close and told that it was all going to be okay, just as he had done for the young prince so many nights. But who was he kidding? It wasn’t going to be okay, they weren’t going to see their friends again, and they probably wouldn’t ever return home after this.

Noctis thought he deserved those hateful words that spilled from his friend's mouth, only retaliating against his own. He had said he didn’t need Prompto… but he was all he had in the world right now, and that made him hurt worse. The blonde was right too, shouting that Noctis would most likely be dead if not for him. Prompto being the one who protected him from that evil, disgusting bastard for 6 long months.

Noctis kept his head down, his longer bangs shading his blues from the blinding sunlight as he rubbed on his swelling middle. He heard a distressed moan from across the room, turning toward the source of that awful sound. It was Prompto, who rolled onto his side with a loud whimper; tears faling from his eyes again.

This very sight broke Noctis’s guilty heart when he could see the pain written all over his friend’s grimace.

“...Prompto?”, he whispered, leaning slightly toward him. “Prompto?” But before he could shift himself out of the bed, their door opened and those heavy boots trudged in, thundering across the wood planks.

“It’s Monday, my boys. But you’re still in bed,” he glared at the blonde. His tone gave away just how displeased he was. “Get up, we’re leaving in ten minutes. Now get up!” He gripped and shook Prompto’s legs, earning a terrified yelp from under the covers. “Get up, Prompto! Rise and shine!”

Noctis flinched at the man’s impatient shouts, listening to the pathetic whimpers and fearful sobs tumbling out of the blonde. He kept quiet for now, hoping this wouldn’t escalate any further into violence.

“Prompto!” The man quickly crawled on top of him, caging his smaller body with his much larger frame. He leaned down into his face, his sandy blonde hair brushing against Prompto’s cheeks. “Get up, Prompto. Now! We’ll be late, and I won't tolerate it!”

Prompto squirmed fiercely, desperately pushing on Keith’s heavy body in protest. “I don’t wanna go! No, I don’t want to go, don’t make me!!”, he cried, as Keith dug his hands into the blonde’s horribly bruised hips, causing him to cry louder. “I don’t wanna go!!!”

“You’re going, Prompto. You’re both going, now get up or I’ll make you get up if I have to force you to crawl on your belly!” He gripped harder, lifting Prompto’s bottom and supporting it with one hand as he undid his own belt. “Bad boys must be punished, Prompto!”

That flaming rage seeped right into the prince’s soul at Keith’s brutal treatment of his best friend, who couldn’t control his crying as the man picked him out of the covers with ease. “Keith!!”

The man turned and glared at the raven, his brown eyes dark with anger.

“Leave him alone. I’ll get him up… just leave him alone, alright?”

Keith huffed, dropping Prompto back onto the bed carelessly. He stomped toward the door, shooting the prince one last look of malice. “I’ll give you five minutes. Be ready when I come back in here, or you’ll both regret this,” he warned, slamming the door shut.

Noctis climbed out of his bed and leaned into Prompto’s personal space, tenderly cupping his wet freckles. “Prompto…?”

The blonde’s sweaty palms instinctively flew for his belly, gripping it protectively as he opened his bright blue eyes and gazed into Noctis’s caring ones. “Noct…”, he sobbed, his breath forcefully hitching. “Noct, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry for what I s-said. I’m sorry!”

The prince gave him a small smile, pressing a kiss to his forehead before taking both of Prompto’s shaky hands in his. “No, Prompto. You were right about everything and I’m the one who should be apologizing… you’ve done more for me than you should’ve had to, and I’m so sorry for that.”

“H-he’s gonna come back, Noct… I’m not even dressed!” He glanced down at himself and then back up at Noctis, his blues pleading for his help. “Noct, he’s taking us away! He’s… taking us away…”

“I know… I know,” he hushed him, pulling him up and off the bed, gathering him into a hug. “But I’ve got you, buddy. So,” he backed up for a moment, gazing into his friend’s sorrowful blue eyes. “I know we’ll be okay. As long as I’ve got you, Prompto… he can’t hurt us…” It was Noctis’s turn to cry, tears filling his dark sapphires. “You’re the best, and we’ll be fine… I’m s-sorry, Prompto…”

“I did it for you, Noct… We’ll be together f-for a long time, right? He wouldn’t s-separate us.”

“I don’t know…” He wiped his tears with his sweater sleeve, bringing Prompto over to the trousers and heavy winter clothing that Keith had laid out for them. “But we better get ready in case the bastard has a mind to.”

“‘kay,” Prompto sniffed, holding up the pants in front of himself as he watched Noctis shimmy them up to his stretch-marked waist. “Um…”

Noctis put on a knowing smirk. “Sit on the bed, Prompto.” The blonde let out a tiny chuckle as he did just that, the prince lining his legs up with the trousers. “Go ahead, put a foot in.”

“How did you put yours on?”

Noctis hummed a laugh. “Years of training with Gladio helped make me flexible.”

Prompto stood up with a warm smile, pulling his trousers up the rest of the way. “Thanks, Noct.”

Noctis returned the gesture with a nod, grabbing up the gloves and scarves when he bent slightly from a strong jab in his middle. “Ah-, gods…”

Prompto’s worried frown reappeared. “You okay? Is it your “thing” again?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled, unaware that Prompto had just called it a “thing”. “Wait, did you call it a thing?” He looked right into his friend's face as the blonde patted his own middle.

“Uh huh, and I know now why you call it that, Noct. It’s because you’re afraid to love it, right?”

The prince remained silent, staring at his belly.

“I felt that way too, in the beginning. But it’s not your fault, Noct, none of this is your fault nor their fault. The only one to blame here is Keith,” he explained, moving closer and placing a hand over Noctis’s and squeezing. “So, you go on and show that baby just how much you love it, okay? It needs you, you’re its momma.”

Noctis chuckled nervously, gently caressing his middle as he gazed into Prompto’s understanding eyes. “Okay… I will… whatever would I do without you, Prompto?”

Prompto smiled wide at him this time, flashing his bright blues. “I don’t think I ever wanna find out, Noct.”

“Know what?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanna strangle that bastard so bad for you.”

Prompto snorted. “I’d rather shoot the guy’s balls off,” he interjected, motioning a handgun with his fingers.

“While I’m strangling him,” Noctis laughed aloud, holding his belly for support.

“That’ll work!”

Prompto held Noctis tight as their fit of laughter tore at their sides, their resolve to stay together made stronger. If these truly were their last moments in Lucis, they would go out with a bang.

They’d make sure of that, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatever would we do without our little sunshine boy???
> 
> And who knew Keith had a brother???
> 
> Let me know what you think and thanks for reading, as always!!


	10. Seabound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, but here's the next chapter! It's a little short... though the next one will be longer and have some more action.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

As soon as they stepped out into the snow, a frigid breeze blew across both of their faces, shivering as they endured it.

“Holy shit, it’s so cold!,” Prompto yelled, hugging himself to trap what little warmth he had left inside the coat Keith loaned him. Noctis wrapped a wool-covered arm across his shoulders, holding him close to share his warmth. “Th-thanks, Noct.”

Noctis hummed, shivering hard himself as he looked over at Keith. He watched him carefully as the man’s broad, calloused hands started up his snowmobile with a large enough passenger attachment for both boys. The prince wondered how the hell the man had been so prepared for this…

Keith glanced over at the two shuddering boys with a wicked smirk. “You boys alright?”

“Just freezing to death,” Noctis snapped.

“Are we almost r-ready, Keith?” Prompto’s voice trembled with a chill, his feet slowly turning numb.

“Almost, beautiful boys. Come hop inside, huh? I’ll be back.” He doubled back for the cabin, leaving the snowmobile running.

The boys slowly shuffled through the knee-deep snow toward the snowmobile, supporting each other as they vocalized how cold they felt.

“N-N-Noct… I’m so friggin’ freezing! My poor feet! And it can’t be good for the babies,” Prompto said, curling into his middle for more warmth.

“At least they’re warm inside of us,” Noctis replied. “Let’s get in that stupid machine as fast as possible…”

Before Noctis could put a foot in, Prompto held his arm out in front of him. “Wait, Noct, let me get in first and you sit in front of me,” he said, sounding totally in charge of the situation. “It’ll be better for your back.”

Noctis raised a brow at him and smiled. “Look at you.”

Prompto shivered a grin back at him from inside the passenger car, helping him in next. Snuggled tight inside the little vehicle, Prompto wrapped his heavy wool-lined arms around the prince’s shoulders to keep him close to his chest and provide his back with some soft cushioning.

“So… this is it, huh?”, Prompto mumbled sadly out of nowhere into Noctis’s hair. “We’re uh, never coming back here, are we?”

Noctis had no words. He didn’t even want to think about it, but it was true. They were leaving Lucis, forced by one man’s will to drag them away from home and away from Ignis and Gladio. And here they were, waiting for that wicked monster to return to where they sat slumped in his snowmobile, cold and apprehensive of their trip.

He felt afraid to answer Prompto’s question with anything but a reassuring ‘No! We’re getting out of here!’, but how could they escape this? There was no safe, sensible way for them to run or find help in this desolate and unforgiving snow-covered wasteland. They were tired, achy and most important of all, pregnant.

Both boys were six months along and still had a ways to go before it came time for the babies. That’s why they had been rushed to prepare for the past week, Keith ordering for everything to be just right because he knew they didn’t have much time left; he wanted to take them to a place he could keep them forever. Both Noctis and Prompto reasoned that even if they did fight back and possibly kill this man to stop him, they would be just as hopeless out here as staying with Keith.

Death loomed imminent before them in this eternal, frigid forest if ever they had a mind to make a run for it.

“You boys cozy enough?!”

Prompto flinched and let out a nervous gasp when Keith’s shout broke the bright silence in this snowbound landscape. He huddled in closer to the prince. “Um, yeah, just w-waiting for you, Keith.”

“Good,” he grinned at them, their helpless gazes stroking his prideful ego. “Had to go get a blanket for you boys, the ride’s gonna get awfully chilly.”

As he wrapped the heavy blanket around them, Prompto gratefully reached for it, tugging it tightly to his shivering form. Noctis, however, couldn’t stand to have Keith put his hands anywhere near him, jerking away when he came close.

Keith smiled, jumping on the snowmobile with a satisfied sigh as he glanced back at the expectant boys. “Hope you’re keeping my babies warm. It’ll be awhile before we reach the docks.”

He wasn’t wrong as they took off, the icy wind beating on their faces, chilling them to the bone. And it certainly didn’t help that they were now exposed to the elements, the babies prodding at the boys inside of their slightly bruised, swollen bellies.

Prompto hid his frosty, freckled face between the prince’s shoulder blades, hoping to bring the blood flowing back into his numb nose and chapped lips.He huddled in as close as possible, whimpering through every shiver that wracked his delicate condition.

Noctis leaned back into Prompto’s comforting hold, reassured by the fleeting kicks of the blonde’s baby against his spine. Despite being bundled up so heavily, the prince could still feel the gentle thumping of the fetus’s jabs through his wall of clothing and smirked at the caresses.

But it wasn’t until he looked to his right and saw Keith riding against the wind, his sandy blonde hair sweeping across the top of his head that his smirk faded. He found himself staring at the man’s feathery locks and couldn’t help but remember those horrid times in Keith’s bed, when he’d be below the prince’s waist, flicking his tongue against his tip.

The man’s sandy hair would brush over the inside of his quivering thighs as he spread his sweaty palms on top of Noctis’s swelling belly, smoothing it with soft circular motions. He’d whisper to the baby, causing a nervous chill to run down the prince’s spine as he arched up and moaned into Keith’s gentle motions.

Prompto had experienced much of the same thing, except the man would keep him longer than Noctis, loving how much louder the blonde was than his raven counterpart when he reacted vocally to Keith’s actions. His soft mewls and constant groaning through heavy breaths drove the man to work Prompto further and longer during foreplay.

Noctis purposefully tried to hold back his cries whilst at the mercy of Keith’s rude, provocative hands. Everything the man had done to them already was enough, and Noctis couldn’t let him have the pleasure of hearing their weakness, or provoking a helpless whine from their bruised, blood-crusted lips.

The prince heard soft exhales from behind and guessed Prompto must have fallen asleep from his exhausting shivering. He curled in on his warm middle, cuddling into Prompto’s limp embrace to try to rest himself.

Until he was shocked by Keith’s deep voice, raised enough to be heard over the buzzing engine and the whistling wind blowing in their ears. He turned, that smug grin plastered under his moist sandy locks that had fallen over his forehead. “Try to rest, Noctis, my boy. We’ll be there in about half an hour, and then you boys can sleep in a proper bed on the ferry, alright?”

His wink at the prince was regarded with a chattering grimace as Noctis shut his eyes, his long, dark lashes frosted by tiny fluttering flakes. This was going to be a long ride.

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

“We are almost there… aren’t we, Keaton?” Ignis couldn’t help but ask the same question for about the tenth time since they left for Keith’s hidden cabin, way out in the middle of this wintery hell.

Keaton reassured him with a tender smirk as he led them through a row of white blanketed trees. “Almost, Ignis. Should be just ‘round these trees here.”

“Keaton, you said your brother lived out here alone for how long?”, Gladio’s question lingered honestly before an answer.

“Ten years,” the man replied with a heavy sigh, pushing some branches out of their way.

“So, he basically went insane,” the shield mumbled to himself, but it was still heard by the two other men in front of him. “Shit… then Noct and Prompto are…”

“In real danger, yea,” Keaton finished. “But hopefully not fer long. Look, boys!”

Ignis squinted through the blinding gleam of sun reflecting off of the sea of white and saw the cabin sitting right in the middle of a tiny glade of trees. His heart rose again, the thought of finally finding his prince and good friend had him almost racing for the building.

“Finally,” Gladio sighed, relief washing over him like a gentle, spring breeze across a meadow of fresh flowers. But he wasn’t going to let his guard down so soon, summoning his greatsword with a scowl present on his tanned, scarred face. “Should we be ready for hostility, Keaton? I mean, the guy could be armed.”

“It’s possible,” he said, his voice trailing off as he thought it rather odd that there was no smoke coming from the brick chimney.

“Most likely,” Ignis interjected, readying his daggers as they approached the cabin.

But Keaton stopped them, holding his arm out. “Not so fast, boys. Let me lead, awright? He is my brother, and I don’t want a repeat of what you told me happened last time.”

Ignis held himself back, reluctantly releasing his grip on his weapons. He didn’t care what happened to him, he just wanted their two younger friends to be well and alive. “Very well,” the advisor stepped back, waiting as Keaton made his way through the deep snow to the front door.

“Iggy?”, Gladio whispered, hunkered beside his friend. “You think he’d kill his own brother if he saw him coming?”

Ignis barely heard the shield, fixated on a window that allowed him to peer inside the cabin just a bit. He waited anxiously for something to appear in his sight… anything. He never answered Gladio’s question.

They didn’t have to wait long before Keaton reappeared by the front entrance, cupping his mouth with his hands. “It’s alright, boys, place’s empty.” His assuring shout didn’t sit well with the two men, their hearts both dropping as intense sorrow killed off any remaining hope they had left of finding the boys.

Gladio sighed as he stomped forward, leaving Ignis behind to trudge through the snow toward the cabin while lost in his misery.

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

The cabin felt warm, that much was a relief to their almost frozen hands and feet. But the stench that assaulted Gladio’s nostrils the moment he stepped inside, caused him to gasp at the foulness of the air. “What the hell is that gods awful smell?!” He thought he’d recognized it before, but it was more sweet-smelling than that familiar, musty odor he knew…

“I could tell ya,” Keaton answered, waving his hand in front of his face. “Though, I’m not sure you’d like it.”

Ignis walked in slowly behind Gladio, sniffing the same stench. His brows furrowed in disgust as he pinched his nose. “It reeks of foul and immoral indecency… Can you smell it, Gladio?”

“Yep,” the shield waved back. “That’s sex, alright, and pretty heavy too,” his voice dropped to a dangerous level, his anger almost boiling over. “But if Noct and Prompto were here, then Keith’s been…”

“Yea,” Keaton broke in, heading down the hallway toward Keith’s room. “You boys wanna have a look around? See if we can find anythin’ important.”

“Important?”, the advisor huffed, tugging his coat further into his neck. “If they’re not here, then what’s the point in searching for anything?”

“Iggy…” Gladio patted his shoulder, leaving for one of the bedrooms. “C’mon, let’s see what that bastard left us to go on.”

“If anything,” he snapped.

The first bedroom smelled worse than the rest of the cabin, the filth of days’ old bodily fluids assailing their senses as they walked about the room. “The hell did he do to them?”, Gladio grumbled, pulling the sheets back from both beds and coughing at the sight of dried cum and other various fluids, crusted in between the sheets. “Iggy, he’s a disgusting son of a bitch…”

Ignis stepped carefully about, scanning the floor for any signs that the prince and his best friend were ever here. The next thing he saw on the nicely laminated, wood floor made bile jump into his throat. He reeled back. “Gladio,” he signalled him with a finger. “Come look at this.” He knelt down for a closer look.

A mess of blood and cum had dried and stained a large portion of the floor beside the bed closest to the wall. Some of it had been smeared along the wall, signs of a struggle evident in the swipes.

“The hell, Iggy?!”

Ignis choked on his remnant bile. “By the gods, Gladio… He must have been forcing them into sex…”

The sight of sexually-induced fluids was bad enough, but to see the blood here… Ignis was losing it inside, Gladio not too far off from that himself. This was a nightmare, and nothing was going to bring them out of it any time soon. Noctis and Prompto, for six months had endured this kind of brutal, disgusting torture, all at the hands of one man.

One man, who had trapped them all into his vile plans, stripping the two men of their prince and close friend. The savage… forcing this immoral agony on them without mercy, both of them possibly six months pregnant. But that didn’t matter at this moment, they would cross that bridge when they got to it. They first had to find them.

Right now, the very thought of both boys bleeding, crying and writhing in the painful aftermath of brutal sex had caused a primal rage to break forth in the advisor and the shield. This had to end, soon.

Very soon.

Gladio couldn't believe it, tightening his fists with every heavy, quickening breath. “Six fuckin’ months of it? For what?!”

“Fer babies.”

Both men whipped around to see Keaton wearing a pained scowl, holding up Noctis’s and Prompto’s discarded, empty clothes. Ignis fell to his knees, shaking his head in utter disbelief. “ ...children? But, why? Why, Keaton?”

“Think about it… my sister-in-law was gonna have babies, twins, right? My brother was damn near suicidal when he lost those babies, on the edge of insanity you might say.” He glanced between them, trying to see if his hints had sparked any realisation in their brains. “Then your friends came along: two boys that could have kids. HIS kids. In other words…”

“He took them because…,” Gladio started, knowing the answer, but not having enough courage to say it.

“Two boys? Each one pregnant with my brother’s kid?”

Ignis sighed, the reality hitting him harder than a quintcast. “Twins…,” he whispered. “Then that means they’ll be six months along, right?”

“Holy shit, Iggy…” The shield plopped himself on one of the beds, hiding his face in his shaky hands. “We can't let this happen… we just can’t…”

“I know… but if they’re not here, then where has he taken them?”

Keaton snapped his fingers, leading them back outside. “I have a feeling I know where he’d be taking them, but it’s no-”

“-guarantee we’ll find them in time?”, Ignis finished for him, adjusting his glasses. “That doesn’t matter anymore, Keaton. We have got to find them, even if it costs us our own lives in the process! Please, just tell us where.”

“Iggy’s right, Keaton,” Gladio piped up, standing firmly beside his friend. “Ain’t nothin’ gonna stop us… not even doubt. They need us.”

“We’ll be needin’ a boat then,” he winked at them.

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

“Wake up, my boys! We’re here!”

Exchanging groans, the boys struggled to keep themselves awake, the sudden startle of Keith’s rude shout had them intentionally rising slowly out of the snowmobile. They both stole glances at each other before gazing around at their surroundings in awe.

The crisp, cool ocean waves slid over the sandy shore, dotted with pink and white seashells. The ferry boat rocked gently above the water, a crowd of people already gathered inside. The mountains that said ‘home’ stood lonely in the quaint distance, the orange orb of sun setting just below the crook of the hills, shimmering on the ripples of the higher tide.

It was so beautiful that Prompto couldn’t believe they were leaving this all behind, Lucis already seeming like a distant memory. He glanced over at Keith, who was busy chatting with a man whom the blonde guessed was taking their tickets. He was laughing, chuckling along like there was nothing out of the ordinary happening in the world.

How could he do this? What made him think he could take them away from their home? They were at his mercy, but couldn't they do something? The anger in Prompto’s heart flared and raged, thinking maybe, just maybe with all these people as witnesses, perhaps they could shoot him.

Who would accuse them of any crime worse than what this man had already done to them? For six months?! If he fell to the ground and died, they would be free. They would be free to leave and return to Ignis and Gladio and continue their journey. A logical explanation was all they would need to excuse themselves if they murdered the man right here.

But what if their older friends were dead? Keith had told them he shot Gladio, and then left them both to freeze to death in that storm. How did he know if they were still out there, waiting, or if alive, searching for them? No. It was an absurd plan, one that would put them both in danger, as if they weren’t in enough trouble already.

Noctis was the young gunman’s main priority, and he had to be at his very best to make sure they stayed alive; in spite of all the odds playing against them.

Unable to glare at that monster any longer, Prompto left to find Noctis among the impatient crowd of people still waiting to board the ferry. Searching around the waterbound reeds, he found him standing in the midst of some cattail stalks, taller than him by at least a head by the bank of the estuary.

He approached steadily from behind so as not to startle him. “Noct?”

“Hi,” the prince replied softly, as if he were at peace with the way things were in the world. “Is it time yet?”

“No, Keith’s just taking his sweet time. He’s talking with the captain.”

“Oh.”

Prompto’s baby kicked a few times then, his hands resting just above the loving jabs of his son or daughter. He stepped closer to his friend, encircling his waist to pat his baby bump. “You okay?”

Noctis turned toward Prompto’s peering blues, neglecting his little weaving craft with the foamy reeds in his fingers. “I’m fine. Just… scared.”

“Me too,” Prompto confessed quietly. “But I’m glad we’ll be together, Noct.”

Noctis hummed, gently patting his friend’s hand in response to the kind smile on his freckles. “Always, you know that. I won’t let anything happen to you, Prompto.”

“Ditto, buddy,” he whispered, squeezing him tight to his side, feeling all the love pouring from his prince’s broken heart. “And when we get there, I’m not letting you out of my sight. Or out of my arms.”

The prince chuckled, playfully pushing Prompto away. “You’re gonna have some competition there. You sure you can handle it?”

“Sure as I’m the sharpest shooter in all of Lucis,” he joked, when all of a sudden, both babies jumped inside of them. “Wah!”

“Ah ha…” Noctis clutched his belly, Prompto holding him steadily as he stumbled forward. “Holy crap… haha… damn, they’re strong.”

“And feisty too,” Prompto added. “Speaking of, you been thinking about names?”

“Not really.”

“Does that mean some? Or none at all whatsoever?”

“Prompto…” Noctis’s smirk revealed a dent in the space between his lips and nose, the same place Keith had beaten him with his rifle. 

It was a permanent scar, and Prompto couldn’t help but stare at it. Feeling that guilt wash over him again, he tried to change the subject when he noticed the deep purple lining the horizon just above the green hills in the distance. “It’s beautiful tonight, huh?”

Noctis gazed up, his smirk becoming a full smile. “Yeah, it is. I love this time of day… perfect for napping.”

“You’ll have plenty of time for that once we set sail, my pretty prince.”

The boys abruptly turned around at the menace that voice belonged to.

His brown eyes were no friendlier than before, a swift expectation of obedience in the glare he gave them. “Come. Now, my boys.” He grabbed their arms roughly and dragged them back toward the boat, where their inevitable fate awaited them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, like always!
> 
> More gruesomeness to come...


	11. Home is Where the Heart Stays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, my poor boys! I love them so much, and I can't wait till I write the next one already!

“We’ve arrived, my boys.”

Prompto gulped as he stared out into the new dawn light, faintly gleaming off the lucid waves in the eastern sky, having already been graced by the golden sun. “W-we are?”

“Finally,” Noctis said with a heavy sigh, stepping out of the cabin bathroom of the ferry boat with a seven-month baby bump. “I can’t take this sea sickness anymore…”

Keith chuckled, amusement thrust upon his face as he watched the boys scurry toward the exit and by his side. “Stay close now, my boys.”

Stepping off the boat was a welcome relief, but a mixed blessing as well. They were walking in a land they knew nothing about, people who would probably be forever strangers to them, and a man of whom they were held against their will. Noctis and Prompto both just hoped they’d be able to stay together through it all, gods forbid they become separated.

The westerly breeze warmed their bruised and sleepy faces, a little too warm that it made Prompto want to shrug off his coat. Yet despite how uncomfortable he was in all those layers, he kept it on, noticing the weird glances they were getting from the foreign people. He half wondered why they were staring, and half wondered why he was wondering at all. It was rather strange witnessing two very pregnant boys travelling around with a rugged man from out of nowhere.

Noctis tried to ignore those multiple, darkening eyes that silently judged them, or perhaps thought more wickedly than he imagined. He didn’t really care but for Prompto, who clung to him as they followed closely behind Keith through the crowd.

“What do think they're thinking about us?”, Prompto whispers.

Noctis caught the sly smirk of an old man in a hooded robe not too far off. His face grew red, the man leering at them both with a very inappropriate gleam in his lumpy eye. “I don’t think I wanna know…,” his soft tone replied. “Let’s just keep walking, huh?”

Keith brought them through a quaint little town that nestled itself in a canyon between mountainous boulders and towering trees, filled with various shops and stores and local grocery markets, a few cars here and there driving by them on the paved road they trudged on. Some common people were about, doing their business as they walked by, but it seemed like every time one of the boys glanced up from their sore, achy feet, someone was staring at them.

A look back at his boys and Keith winked at them, signalling them forward with a flick of his fingers. “Boys,” he said lowly. “I said stay close.” And the moment they reached the middle of town, Noctis knew why he enforced those words.

Men. Everywhere they looked, some rough, rugged men standing by their tents sharpened, reloaded or examined weapons of all kinds: rifles, axes, swords… and the sharp glares in their eyes made Prompto uneasy, huddling in closer to Noctis. From what he could tell, Noctis thought they looked like hunters, their clothing giving them away in that regard. But just what kind of hunters were they?

Entranced by this one red-headed man who sat beneath a tent canopy, expertly cocking two rifles at the same time, both boys hadn’t noticed they were being dragged over to him by their captor. His firm, bruising grip on their arms let them know how urgent his mission was.

Both pairs of blue eyes went wide, Prompto reluctantly having to release his hold on Noctis as they were pulled arms’ length away from each other. A drawled, deep voice echoed across the way from the other man, excitedly waving Keith over.

“Hey! Keith, that ain’t really you, is it? You know how long you’ve been gone, brother?”

A chuckle escaped his dry lips. “I know, I know. Too long, right? But I’m here, just like I said I would be.”

Noctis stole a look of disbelief with Prompto, whose jaw had dropped seconds before Keith’s reply. Instinctively, Noctis’s palm flew to his belly, perching where his baby had just kicked him, thinking maybe the little thing felt as awkward as he did.

His feet hurt, his whole body ached from the strain of pregnancy, and he just wanted to lie down now. Prompto pulled on Keith’s arm, softly whining to grab the man’s attention but froze in shock, his mouth agape when the other man paid the blonde more mind.

The redness of the man’s hair seemed to resemble that of the flaring blaze of a bonfire, his wide grin a true signature of his own as his purple-hued eyes focused on Prompto’s blues. “And who’s this, Keith? He’s a cutie,” he asked, tongue lolling to the side of his mouth like a dog awaiting its dinner.

Keith yanked Prompto forward when he tried to shy away, mouthing, “behave” as he held him by the shoulders before his friend. “This is Prompto. Pretty, isn’t he?” He patted Prompto’s swollen, 7-month belly, smirking up at his buddy as if he were bragging about a prize. “This is also mine, in case you couldn't tell.”

“Oh, I guessed alright,” he chuckled, rudely eyeing Noctis further behind. “And that one?”

“The Prince of Lucis… And every bit as beautiful as his belly now!”

“No kiddin’, Keith! You’ve been workin’ hard, haven’t ya? They’re both beauts!”

Noctis’s face scrunched in disgust, a horrid churning in his stomach at these two and their lewd comments caused bile to jump into his throat. Why the hell were they brought here? Surely Keith didn’t come all the way here just to show off to his ‘friends’, though he never hinted otherwise what his intentions had become. Annoyed and clearly uncomfortable in the presence of all these men, Noctis shifted his weight on one leg, a hand coming to his lumpy hip for support as he softly whined.

Prompto hung his head as the men chatted on, blonde bangs shading one blue orb with every glance at his prince. His hands were visibly shaking as he cradled his belly, desperate to avoid conversing with Keith’s friend again. He hoped Noctis would notice his gaze, begging for some kind of intervention. “Noct?”, he whispered, grip tightening on his belly, fingers denting his stretch marks. “Noct, please do something.”

“Like what?”, his lazy tone murmured back. He made the mistake of looking around the makeshift camp, catching winks from many of the hunters gathered in one area. He shivered.

“Like-”

“So, you’re stayin’ at my place then?”, the man’s friend drawled happily.

Keith scoffed, wrapping his arms across Prompto’s belly and resting his chin on his yellow nest. “Don’t wanna put you out, Andy.”

“Naw. You’ll be the perfect houseguests! And besides, I’m gone most of the day, so it’ll be more like you own it, bud. Just let me put these things away…” He brought his rifles over to a hooked wall and set them ever so gently in their respective slots, Noctis’s gaze fixed on those black, metal barrels as he wobbled beside Prompto and squeezed his hand for comfort.

Keith snuck a kiss to Noctis’s fluffy raven head, nuzzling his nose as he breathed in his plum-like scent. “Love you, my beautiful Noctis,” he mumbled, to which the prince groaned.

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

“Alright, just set your things anywhere ya like!”

Andy threw his keys over on the sofa, moving towards the kitchen when Keith pulled him aside. “Boys, go on and make yourselves comfortable!”, he says, a sly grin on his lips. “You need the rest…” Leaning close to Andy, he whispers, “I’m gonna need you to find a way to lock that door from the outside.”

“Why?” Just for good measure he wonders, knowing exactly what his friend’s whole plan is. Keith’s letter was explicitly detailed for the sake of preserving such precious treasures, the ones he considered the boys to be. He always knew Keith to be a clever, cunning mold of a man.

“They’re carryin’ precious cargo, Andy~” The slur of his words won over any sympathy Andy may have had for the pregnant boys, hiding his laugh in a brief coughing fit as he gave him a nod.

“I’ll see to it.” They looked over at the boys, smiling at Noctis who already occupied space on the sofa with his legs spread from his increased size and weight, supporting Prompto by the hand as he helped him lower his own girth beside him.

Still smiling like the big, dumb bastard they considered him, Keith strode right over to his boys and winked at his friend. A signal he took as a right to leave them to their privacy, his keys being thrown back to him.

In response, Andy stretched and yawned in a very obvious and obnoxious fashion. “Well,” he remarks in the middle of a yawn. “Guess I’ll be headin’ out then! And boys,” their sweet, innocent and bruised faces turn to him just as he winks and offers them a fleeting smirk. “Keith is gonna take good care of ya while you make this your new home, really. He’s a good man.”

One wave and he was gone, locking the door behind him. Once Andy was out of earshot and clearly a fair distance from the house, Keith playfully bowed to Noctis and offered him his hand. “Your Highness,” he mocks, barely visible anymore that fondness in his brown eyes that kindly greeted his old friend.

“Cut it out,” Noctis mutters, the slightest hesitation to snap back at him as his voice cracked.

“But, Noctis,” he coos, bending down to lean over the prince’s legs and scoop his swollen middle between his toned arms. “I just wanna know how you’re feeling, beautiful thing.”

Prompto’s nerves were really starting to get to him, this place feeling more like a prison than a home. “Keith?”, he squeaked, scooting closer to Noctis. “He does have beds, right? I’m so tired.”

“Of course, my boy. But before you sleep, I wanna share this special moment with you both.” He took Prompto’s shaky hand and Noctis’s clammy one and held them tenderly, gazing into the pairs of gorgeous blues before him. “We’re finally here, boys. After seven long, gruelling months, we’re home. And I just want you to know that you’ve made me the happiest man alive for staying with me.” He gave them an extra squeeze, his face beaming with unbelievable joy. “I’m so glad I didn’t kill you.”

And boy, was it truly unbelievable. On the inside, Noctis was fuming, but not quite hot enough to burn out over his sorrow. Having travelled miles and miles from Lucis to the point that it might as well be in outer space, the fear of never returning left his mind a long time ago. This man was hellbent on keeping them and following through with all of his torture, his games, and whatever else he planned to break them with.

Thinking back on it now, he wished he had had the gusto to take the shot at the man’s wicked smirk, and let him bleed to death unconscious while he made his escape with Prompto. But that nagging reality hit him once again in his most sensitive of places: his heart, that seemed to reason in a much more sensible manner than Noctis himself, the incredible danger that awaited them in the freezing cold. Being so far in the pregnancy meant they weren’t just risking their babies’ lives, but their own, in their fragile states.

The ferry ride was just as inhumane as it was brutal. The ride across the big, blue ocean felt amazing, the pictures Prompto snapped were absolutely breathtaking. No, it wasn’t the ferry itself, but what transpired within their assigned berths. Keith’s rough hands, his hairy body, his throbbing, itchy, large cock that seemed to have a mind of its own… Every part of Noctis and Prompto were claimed, groped, and violated nonstop by every part of Keith, their spirits as well as their hearts, worn out and broken - shattered.

And Noctis was wrong by all accounts when he thought Keith would be a touch more gentle with them during sex because of their delicate condition. On the contrary, pregnancy had the opposite effect of how a man should react sexually to the ‘joy’ of pregnancy. It turned him on, made him wild and unable to control his own actions, egged him on the way he’d howl at them when he felt the babies move around from the inside. He’d bounce the bunk with every thrust into Prompto’s eternally bruised hips, rock the suspension when he’d shift back and forth while chuckling to dump his seed deep inside of Noctis, and leave him writhing underneath his unbearable weight.

If Andy only knew how he abused them and caused them so much pain, maybe he wouldn’t have to live under the curses Noctis uttered under his breath at him when he ditched them. They might as well serve as his saving grace now, pretending to be oblivious when all along, he understood perfectly what Keith had done and was going to do to them. And that last part? The one about Keith ‘“taking good care of them in their new ‘home’”? Yeah, Noctis spat at that shit as soon as it flew his way.

But this was their ‘home’ now, no denying in the world could ever change that. Prompto had once adoringly called it destiny; a totally, fuckin’ unfair destiny, but given their current circumstance and the precious lives they carried, they’d only cause themselves more grief if they chose to act on the feeble whims of their desire for freedom and release from this man.

Still, both boys held on constantly to the hope of somehow, someway finding that one chance of escape; that one bright, shining light, full of promise at the end of the tunnel.

Keith slowly pulled away after giving them both a peck on the lips, standing before Prompto and pulling him to his aching feet despite his moans of protest. “Know what I think?”

Prompto, afraid as ever, acknowledged that question with a quiet “what?” Usually, he knew what was on the receiving end of those hypothetical questions and dared not open his mouth. This time, he feared, would be no different.

But hope was that belief in the darkest of times, right?

“I believe a christening is in order,” he stated, twirling a strand of blonde hair in his dry, crinkled fingers. “In honor of our new home, we’ll celebrate in the best way I know how.”

His stomach dropped, bile gurgling as that familiar gagging inched toward his throat. Prompto hated when he was right, but it wasn’t all that difficult to predict what Keith’s next move would be. The man worshipped sex, even more so since stealing these boys for his own vile, personal pleasures.

He grabbed Prompto’s hand and spun him so his back lay flush against his chest, shoving him up to a bureau that sat opposite the sofa. Prompto braced himself over the bureau, gripping the edge for support as Keith pushed on him. “Prompto…”, he breathed huskily at the base of his spine, sliding his hands down the length of lightly toned muscles that hid beneath the blonde’s layers. “Lose your pants for me, my boy.”

Prompto gasped at the callous hands on his still soft skin, inching themselves down and into his pants and boxers. Keith slid them off with ease, exposing tender, purple blotches that littered his pale, flabby flesh. The man smirked as he scrutinized each one, his whole expression alight with pride as those were his markings, proving his ownership of this beautiful, blonde boy.

“Keith,” Noctis said, angry but nervous as he shifted his weight and tried to get up. “Don’t do this! Leave him alone!”

“You’re next, my boy,” he replied with a sly glance toward the raven, squeezing Prompto’s ass till he screamed.

“Keith, please! I’m tired, please, I don’t wanna do this right now!”

“Quiet,” he growled. Using one hand, he flicked his belt loose and slid his own trousers off, flinging them across the room. He bucked his hips into Prompto’s backside and shoved his sweaty cock between his cheeks, chuckling as he rocked on his feet to send it deeper. “Prompto…”

Prompto winced, whining against the man’s violent movements. Every thrust he made caused him pain, blood already slipping down his leg. “Keith,” he sobbed weakly, tears spreading in his tightly shut eyes. “Please, stop!”

Keith was a large man, though not quite as large as Gladio, he pressed so heavily into Prompto’s smaller form that it ached for the boy to hold himself up. The taut, firm thighs that pushed into his leaner ones felt bruising, almost like his would crack if any more pressure was placed on them. He remembered how heavy Gladio felt when he would move in to protect Prompto from an enemy attack, his massive wall of muscle would cover him like a real shield; a kind of safe heaviness that he knew Gladio risked every day in combat to protect his comrades.

Now, he missed that. He missed having Gladio around to protect them, his looming stature providing more than just simple security; a place where they could find refuge when they fell to the ground and lay completely beaten from battle. “Prompto!”, he’d yell in the heat of the fight, watching with great concern as the blonde leaned heavily on his hands and knees without the strength to stand anymore. “Better sit this one out, champ.”

He thinks he may have taken Gladio’s safety for granted one too many times…

Prompto, exhausted and now at the utter mercy of this man, cried out as the blood trickled faster down his thighs and the pain increased when Keith forced his hot, engorged member in and out of him repeatedly. His legs shook fiercely, close to losing the ability to support his weight as his chest was pushed over the top of the bureau. In a failed attempt to alleviate some pain, he lifted himself onto his tiptoes, only to yell in more pain as it allowed Keith more leverage to thrust further into his raw, swollen bottom.

Keith exhaled in a sharp breath as he felt his release coming closer than expected, snaking his arms tight across Prompto’s pregnant belly. “That’s my boy…,” his lust-heavy tone praised him. “Good, Prompto… Let me in…”

Prompto’s whine made his whole body shiver as Keith buried his sandy hair into his nape, the short grunts he let out sent nervous goosebumps raising all along the blonde’s skin. Then the baby moved, and Prompto felt it kick right at Keith inside of him as his arms squeezed his middle harder.

“Mmm… I wonder if our baby can feel me fucking you, my beautiful boy…”

His steamy words slid into that tiny bit of flesh between the back of his head and his ear, a humiliated, shaky groan his only reply as his orgasm twinged within his belly. “Stop… p-please, just stop… Keith, please!”

“Come, Prompto!”

It was as if the man had commanded Prompto’s body to release, his orgasm so overwhelming and intensely painful that he flung his head back against Keith’s and screamed. Keith’s cum spilled out so fast and so deep that Prompto collapsed atop the bureau from the pressure as it dribbled along with the blood down his legs. “Keith!” He broke into sobs as Keith pulled out and picked him up into his arms, cradling him.

He hugged him close, pressing a soft kiss to his wet lips and then bit the hem of his shirt back to kiss his belly. His smirk felt like it had burned itself into his flesh, Prompto’s tears soaking his wispy blonde strands framing his freckled face. “You’re so pretty, Prompto…,” he whispered lovingly close to his lips. “I love you.”

Keith gently laid him on the sofa, settling a warm comforter over the weeping boy, all bloody and bruised. His poor bottom throbbing in agony, he turned on his side and hugged himself, trying to soothe the pain as it hammered every nerve, every muscle and bone in his body. Soft moans left his swollen lips. He reached down for Noctis, who leaned over to rub Prompto’s leg comfortingly, taking the blonde’s hand to let him know he was there. “Noct…?”

Noctis gave him a light squeeze, stifling his quivering lip. “I’m here, Prompto. I’m here, and I’m not leaving y-” All too suddenly, their private moment was overshadowed by that colossal monster, his vile, brown stare grinning down at Noctis’s dilated sapphires.

“Yes, you are, Noctis,” he rudely cut him off, placing a crippling grip on the prince’s shoulder that made him squeak. “Come on, you’ve gone too long without me.”

“L-let me stay with him,” he requested, the likelihood of brutal intercourse increasing with each passing second. Keith made it known to them in so many intimate ways how extremely impatient he was. “Just for a little bit…”

Keith sighed, dropping his head as he gave the prince a wickedly playful smirk. “Then I guess I’ll have to fuck you right here, Noctis.”

As soon as his knee dipped into the sofa, Noctis freaked, backing up into the fluffy cushion. “No! Keith, I- wait, don’t!” Another hard, calloused knee crowded into his thigh, his girth trapping the prince against the sofa cushions.

It was then that Prompto wished he wasn’t so weak right now, desperately wanting to jump the man and choke him till he passed out. He hated hearing Noctis squeal, fearful of savage sexual advances from this wicked bastard.

He shut his eyes and tried to force himself to sleep as Keith pinned the prince against the back of the sofa, towering over him and ripping his clothes off before his dirty, blood-crusted cock was placed at his opening. The yell Noctis let out terrified his friend, knowing he would be witness to everything Keith was about to torture him with.

The rapid bounce of the sofa with every thrust, the horrid gasps of agony tearing out of Noctis’s throat as he writhed underneath him, the hard grunts coming from the man as he pleased himself inside of the prince - and all of that was only the beginning. The aftercare Keith provided made everything worse than the violating sex itself: the way he’d coo at them while tenderly wiping away the blood and cum from their private areas, kissing all over their nakedness as they pushed on him to stop, powerless to physically fight against him at all.

And then he’d focus on the little lives growing inside of the boys. His scruffy face brushing across their swollen bellies as he whispered sweet nothings and smoothed over their blubby, tender hips with his rough palms. Against their will to do so, they would arch wantonly into his hold, moaning loudly and that alone pleased him so much that he’d lean close to their purple lips and ask them if they wanted anything from him.

The response always came out the same. “Please… no more… Let me go…”

He’d laugh then. “No way in hell I’m ever letting you go,” he murmurs into their neck before leaving another hickey, moving up to capture their lips once more. His arms, a prison. This man, a living, never ending nightmare.

 

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

In the quiet of their first night here, both boys lay awake in a king size bed, gently cradling each other’s bellies as they did their last night back in Lucis. But this time, Noctis cuddled closer to Prompto, crying softly as his baby kicked hard inside of his hickey-laden, purple blotched belly.

“I hate him… I hate him, Prompto!” Just thirty minutes earlier, he murmured those exact words as Prompto helped clean him up, picking brown pubic hairs out of his opening and dabbing the cum from his thighs. Keith finished rather quickly with Noctis, the prince’s climax bursting blinding white in his bleary blues with only a couple forceful thrusts from that sickening, fuzzy, brown cock; the man chuckling darkly as Noctis grabbed his swollen middle, fingers pressing hard into what felt like judgemental jabs of his baby against his taut, ivory flesh.

Prompto pulled him into his arms, hushing tender breaths into his fluffy, raven crown. “I know, Noct… I hate him, too. But we have to get through this,” he sounded so confident, but he scared himself. “We’re seven months, and it won’t be long now, buddy.”

“You’ll stay with me?”

He tried to look anywhere on his tear-stained face but into those pleading, lipid oceans, suffering the weight of their situation as the time for them to give birth approached steadily. “Always,” Prompto smiled, brushing some damp bangs from his prince’s eyes. “I won’t ever part from you, Noct. I vowed to remain at your side, ‘member?”

“My side…,” Noctis’s voice fell so low and so quiet, nuzzling his nose into the crook of his friend’s neck. “...Prompto?”

“Yeah?”

Placing a pale hand on his belly and his other on Prompto’s, as both babies kicked at Noctis’s caresses, he gazed deeply into those twin blues with a slight smirk. “Promise me you won’t have this baby before me so I can take care of you?”

Prompto hummed a tiny chuckle, covering Noctis’s hands with his own. “I don’t think I can promise, but I’ll try, Noct. I’ll ask if it can set a date.”

Noctis fell asleep to the gentle strokes Prompto threaded through his hair, his soft fingers massaging his scalp soothing his own pain as his prince slumbered with a tender glow of peace on his sweet face.

And he thought he’d never be able to care for Noctis the same kind way Ignis always did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's gonna get even more intense after this. So much more than ever! Thank you for keeping steady with me through this suspenseful, yet fulfilling journey!


	12. Now When It Rains, I Don't Feel Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long I made you all wait, but Chapter 12 is here and I'm so happy with how this chapter turned out!! I found my little writing genius again!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this one!!! (Chapter title is taken from a verse in The Carpenters song, "Now")

“Noct?”

 No answer. The prince slept soundly, and the way he snored so softly sweet made Prompto feel guilty for trying to wake him up. 

 “Noct, you awake?”  _ Stupid question,  _ Prompto scolded himself. He gently shook his arm, but the shift in Noctis’s position facing him along with the grunt he let out told the blonde to fuck off; in his own subtle way. “Noct, I’ve gotta ask you something. It’s important,” he whispers honestly, voice just barely surfacing.

 “Whaaaat?” He whined, receiving a swift kick from the little one inside of his belly for yelling at its uncle. “What is it? I finally fall asleep and then you wake me up? What the hell, Prompto?”

 He nervously plays with his fingers resting on his belly beneath the covers. “Uh, do contractions feel like cramps?”

 In the middle of a yawn, Noctis shoots up, well, as quickly as a heavily pregnant person could, and stares down at his friend’s belly. “Why, do you h-have them?”

 Prompto gulps at the sudden sharpness in Noctis’s tone. “I dunno… I felt something in my hips, and a little in my lower back,” he explains, palming his hips. “Kinda like cramps, but a little stronger…” He’s startled by Noctis’s grip on his arm.

 “Oh, no… No, Prompto, please tell me it’s the false ones, please?” He looks into his friend’s eyes, concern filling his irises in the form of transparent tears. “Do you feel like you have to, y’know, like, deep breathe just to get through one?”

 “Uhm, no? Yes? I can’t remember, it was too quick.”

 “Did they happen more than once?”

 “Yeah… Like an hour apart, why?”

 “I don’t really wanna have to do this, but…” He rubbed his forehead, slipping off the bed and padding over to the door, locked, of course.

 “Noct?” Prompto feels scared now, hands gripping his belly. “Noct, where are you going? It’s locked.”

 “I’m gonna call for bastardface,” Noctis says blankly, sighing. “He’ll know.”

 “But, Noct-”

 “Prompto, I want him far away from us just as much as you do, but I also wanna make sure you’re okay.” He pounds on the door shouting, “Hey! Hey, I wanna ask you something!”

 Prompto’s sweating as his clammy fingers trace a large stretch mark down his belly and glide over a ginormous bruise from just the other night. He did not want that man around him. It was bad enough to still feel the aftermath of those disgusting hands, but to risk more torture when he could be asleep? Oh, why had he told Noctis about his pain? He cared, and it was sweet, but he just wanted to sleep. Now he couldn’t even have that. “Noct,” he says, very close to becoming frantic. “Please, don’t call him. I’m fine, I just need sleep! Don’t call him-”

 Noctis goes silent with his fist just ghosting another hit as the door drifts open, creaks echoing in the dark of the house. They both freeze for moments they couldn’t even count, hearts pounding in anticipation of some horrible punishment. But it’s still quiet… eerily quiet, and dark. Noctis pokes his head out of their room and glances around in the shadows, unable to see very much. But what he can make out makes him gasp, almost inaudibly.

 A grumbly snore garners his attention to the sofa where Keith is passed out, slumped across both cushions with a bottle of whiskey about to tumble out of his lax fingers. Noctis guessed he probably had exhausted himself of all the ‘fun’ he’d had with them earlier, and given the fact that the man knew the two boys had no way of escape, he must've figured that was cause for celebration.

_ What a sick reason to celebrate _ , Noctis mumbles in his head as he carefully tiptoes his way into the kitchen. He doesn’t know why, he just does. Maybe it’s his hormones; his cravings usually did get the best of him, sometimes wanting to eat broccoli instead of hot, canned meat sandwiches, one of his favorites. Ignis would be proud.

 “Noct?” Prompto calls nervously. “Noct?!” He calls louder and gets a drawn-out ‘shhhh’ in response, catching on to the motion of Noctis’s waving hand beckoning him out. He fumbles with the sheets and throws them off, preparing to heave his girth out of the bed. He takes a deep breath and pushes off, almost falling forward due to how big he’s grown; who can blame his lack of coordination and balance? He’s nearly 36 weeks. But he still can’t believe they are actually risking the chance to walk freely out of the prison cell that is this room. “Noct,” he whispers harshly. “Noct?”

 “Kitchen,” Noctis says, simple and in none too loud a breath.

 Prompto sneaks out of their room and quietly pads across the creaky wood floors. He sucks in a sharp breath but forces it down, the sight of their monstrous captor both nauseating and terrifying at the same time; even when he’s out cold. His eyes lock themselves on to his hand with the bottle of whiskey, fingers coiling unconsciously around the neck of the glass and he shivers when he remembers all the places inside of him those fingers have crawled. Covering his mouth so as not to make any more noise, he slips into the kitchen and nearly launches himself onto Noctis’s back. “Noct, what the hell are you doing?!”

 Noctis glances around the darkened kitchen as he ponders what he could do next. He hadn’t thought this far yet, but what he did figure was that there was a secret to this house that he had only caught a glimpse of the other night. It was a shot in the dark, literally, but it could prove trustworthy.

 And if he learned anything from their 8 month excursion, forcibly taken, raped and immigrated to a strange world they knew absolutely nothing about, it was that they only had a sliver of time to work with here while Keith slept; and to be honest, he rarely left them alone, if at all.

 Noctis turns to him and grins like Christmas was arriving in just a few hours. “Trying to figure something out…”

 “What to eat in the next five seconds? What if we get caught?”

 “We won’t get caught,” he waves him off without so much as a glance in his direction, peeking around into a little cubby area in the back of the kitchen. “Trust me.”

 Prompto grabbed his arm and pulled gently, flustered at the slackness of Noctis’s attitude. “Noct,” he whispers, whipping his gaze back and forth between his friend and the makeshift bed of that vile human being. If they were caught, it’d be all over. “He’s gonna wake up.” His insistence shook Noctis’s arm, pleading with him.

 “No, he won’t,” he replies nonchalantly, touching his belly. “He’s drunk, he won’t be up for another, like, twelve hours.”

 “But, Noct-”

 “Prompto, listen to me,” Noct says, holding his shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. “There’s a back door that leads out of the kitchen. It’s a weak screen door, and if we can get it open, we can get out of this place.” He backs him up to the bar table and pulls out a chair for him to sit on. “We have to do this now, Prompto,” he reiterates, and he sounds desperate for a good reason. But he knows how frightened the blonde is when he starts biting his lower lip and rubbing the sides of his belly with his fingertips. “Prompto?”

 Prompto’s eyes begin filling with tears as his bitten lip quivers. He takes Noctis’s hand. “Noct, I…” He has to take a deep breath before continuing because he’s not sure if he can keep from crying. “I don’t know if I can…” He breaks down and cries a little. Noctis crouches in front of him and rubs his knee, and it seems to give him enough strength to speak again as he straightens up. “I don’t know if  _ we _ can,” he whispers, kissing Noctis’s hand. “Noct, we’re about to have these babies. If we leave now, we’ll be on our own, in a place we know nothing about! We’ll be alone in the wild!”

 “Exactly! No one will find us, and the babies will be safe, too!”

 “But we’ll be out there against the elements, wild animals, and who knows what else! What if something happens? What if we give birth?! Keith is the only one who knows what to do for us!”

 Noctis snorts quietly. “How hard can having a baby be?” Prompto clucks his tongue and shakes his head.

 “Noct. I… I can’t. We can’t risk this,” he hiccups, tears streaming over his freckles.

 “Yes, we can, Prompto. We have to. We’ll never get a chance like this again,” he says, cupping Prompto’s cheek and wiping a tear away with his thumb. “I know you’re scared, I know. I am, too, but I won’t stay here and watch you suffer anymore because of him. Gladio and Ignis-”

 Prompto shakes his head rapidly, repeating no over and over again. “What if they’re dead, Noct? And, what if, we never make it back to Lucis?”

 Noctis lowers his head, trying to maintain a calm and level attitude.

 “What if we die out there?!”

 Noctis suddenly snaps his head up and grips Prompto’s shoulders. “Then at least we’ll die trying!” He’s a little too loud because they can hear a slight shuffle on the sofa, but when they glance over, hearts pounding out of their chests, Keith has only just hugged the bottle to his chest.

 Breathing a sigh of relief, Prompto watches with a heavy heart as Noctis dries his eyes with the sleeve of Keith’s borrowed shirt he wears. It’s way too big, but it makes him look cute. “Noct…”

 Noctis looks up and tries to smile at him. “Please, Prompto. I need you to trust me… I need you to come with me. I can’t do this alone…”

 Prompto laughs now and covers his mouth because it sounds much too loud to him. “Mm… And I can’t walk by myself very well.” He catches Noctis’s eye and grins through his tears. “Noct, I trust you no matter what, you know that. And… I’ve depended on you way more times than I’d like to admit, or should have had to.”

 “I never really minded,” he hums, struggling to pick himself up. He’s never been this heavy in all his life. “You and I have gotta stick together.” Taking him by the hand, he helps Prompto stand up and leads him over to the screen door he was talking about earlier. “You ready?”

 Prompto scans over the door and sees just how flimsy the it really is, thinking this may be possible after all. 

 The screen has a few tears in it and the wood is definitely pine, which means it’ll open pretty easily. It looks to be an old door, painted a very tacky light blue color that has peeled off in many areas. Just a simple flicker of a flame could set the whole frame ablaze.

 And that’s exactly what Noctis is setting out to do, his palm already alight with a tiny spell of fire. He holds his hand up to the screen and presses lightly into it, and sure enough, he starts burning a hole through it.

 Prompto taps Noctis’s shoulder, a rush of nervousness fuming through his body. “Where are we going when we get out?”

 Noctis takes a moment before replying, letting out a grunt as his baby kicks at his back. It’s a particularly strong kick, and he finds he has to breathe deeply just to endure it. Prompto notices and immediately begins to panic.

 “Noct?” He gently kneads at his lower back, leaning over his shoulder. Noctis’s eyes are closed. “...Is it a false contraction? Please tell me no.”

 “I don’t know what it is,” he says in a heavy exhale. “All I know is that it hurts. But I’m almost done…”

 The wiry screen sizzles and burns away, creating a bitter smell that wafts through the house. The boys can only hope the smell doesn’t wake Keith up. Now, the hole in the screen has just barely burned higher than Noctis’s head, but it’s enough.

 Noctis sighs, standing back to admire his work for a moment. His hands are resting on his belly and he can feel his baby’s tiny feet sitting above his belly button. “Finally. Prompto?” When he doesn’t hear him, he turns around, fearful that the blonde is once again clutching below his belly, face contorted in obvious pain. “Prompto? Another one?”

 Prompto can only nod as he tries to breathe through it. 

 Noctis looks out the hole in the screen and feels the warm, nightly breeze on his face, beginning to lose hope. He has to shake those thoughts though, they can’t stop now. They’re too far gone. 

 Noctis will have to carry them both if they’re going to make it.

 He situates his body behind Prompto, arms holding his around his belly and walks them out of the door. And he’s a little surprised Prompto isn’t resisting, but guesses it’s probably because he’s too absorbed in the pain he’s having.

 And then they’re outside. Outside, away from Keith. 

 For the first time, Noctis feels like he can breathe. He steps away from his friend and looks up into the starry night sky, just a silver sliver of a moon shining over them. There’s no one chasing after them, no one watching them, no one hounding them… It’s just he and Prompto.

 Well, and two babies soon to be born. And it’s that realization that brings him back to this moment, and back to Prompto tugging at his shirt with a big smile on his face. To be honest, it’s been so long since Noctis has seen that goofy, lopsided grin.

 “Noct,” he says happily, like a gift that freedom is supposed to be. “We’re out! Ha ha! We’re out!” He’s off laughing in disbelief, fingers gripping his wispy blonde hair. “I can’t… I can’t believe it!”

 Noctis wraps an arm around his shoulders and hugs him. “I know,” he says softly. “I can’t either.”

 “But, I know we can’t waste time, right?”

 “Right,” Noctis agrees, eyes roaming across the landscape of luscious summer grass and rolling green hills. It’s actually quite beautiful, and the sensation of the soft grass when he wiggles his bare toes is heavenly. In the distance, he can see a legion of mountains jutting out from the southern border and takes a chance that that’s probably the direction of Lucis. He curses himself for not paying attention to their course on the way here. He points to the mountains. “I think we could make it there if we’re careful. Seems like a good place to hide, and I don’t think anybody would come looking for us there.”

 Prompto stands beside him. “Not even Keith? You know he’s gonna be raging mad when he finds out we’re gone.”

 “Well, I’m glad we won’t be around to see him explode,” he says, smiling at him. “C’mon,” he nudges him in the side. “Let’s get lost.”

 They set off waddling into the south, feeling the sweetness of the summer breeze humming past their faces.

  
  


  * •••••••



 Ignis slumbers restfully against the railing of the boat, his stomach having finally calmed and settled. He’d had a horrible bout of sea sickness, something he’d never gotten over since he first sailed from Altissia to Lucis with his uncle twenty years ago. His mind was its own whirlwind of emotions, and he couldn’t seem to find any other way to rid himself of worry but to sleep. And that was as daunting as just stepping onto the boat in the first place.

 The moon was beginning to wane in the western sky as the boat dipped and rocked along the playful waves. The light sea breeze served as a sweet caress against Ignis’s face and helped him to fall asleep. But now that they were only about thirty minutes from shore, Gladio just stepped out of the tiny cabin and stretched, hoping to wake Ignis albeit regretfully.

 The shield padded over and gently shook his friend’s shoulder. “Iggy… C’mon, wake up. We’re almost there now.”

 Ignis groaned, lifting his head from a pool of drool that had darkened his rolled up sleeve. “Hm?” His half-lidded, bleary eyes search the vastness of the dark blue sea for Gladio’s voice. “Gladio?”

 He waves his hand in his face. “Over here, Igs,” he chuckles.

 “Ah,” he lets a laugh slip, removing his glasses to rub his eyes. “I’m not sure when I finally fell asleep… But it must have been somewhere between throwing up and heaving.”

 “No worries,” Gladio mumbles, yawning as he leans over the railing. “You sleep good?”

 “Somehow. Though standing while doing so is new for me.”

 “That’s good…”

 There’s silence between them and it’s a bit strange. The two haven’t once - these whole eight months without the prince and his best friend - been at a loss for words. It wasn’t for lack of communication, it just seemed appropriate for some unexplainable reason. Maybe it’s because they’re at a place now where they don’t have to devise, inform, decide, or cooperate in a life or death situation.

 Out here, it’s just… peaceful; and for once, they both like it this way. They’re gazing out at the same blue ocean, the same endless evening sky, and when Gladio sighs, Ignis feels tranquillity wrap itself around him like a feathered blanket. He almost doesn’t want this feeling to leave, and he’s certain Gladio shares the sentiment.

 And even when his burly friend starts speaking again, he listens without having to. It’s natural, and he lacks the urge to want to get to the bottom of what his companion means when Gladio utters the first word.

 “I had a little heart-to-heart with Keaton.”

 “Oh?” Ignis acknowledges without thinking.

 “Yeah,” he says, “he told me some pretty sad stuff. Now, don’t get me wrong, but everything he said… it kinda makes me feel bad for his brother.”

 Ignis turns to look at him, but doesn’t question that statement.

 Gladio lowers his head and entwines his fingers together, wiggling his thumbs. “I mean, the guy lost everything - practically his whole life, and all he lived for.”

 “You mean his wife and children?”

 He nods. “I can’t even imagine what he must’ve been struggling with all those years alone… I think I understand him a little better. At least, I can understand why he went to great lengths to keep Noct and Prompto hidden.”

 “Yes,” Ignis sighs, “I agree. You believe he just couldn’t face his loneliness any longer?”

 “I think he’s still in mourning,” Gladio says plainly. “I remember how empty and angry I felt when the Citadel was attacked and I thought I had lost Iris, too…”

 “It’s normal to feel such strong emotions,” Ignis replies. “Life is a precious thing, and when we can’t protect the ones we love, we become almost catatonic in our pain and frustration. And in the end, we can only wish to be granted a second chance to change the outcome…”

 Gladio turns and studies the way Ignis’s unkempt up do flows limply in the sea breeze, and it seems such a silly thing that he hasn’t tried to maintain his usually perfected hairstyle. “I know I’ve wished that many times,” he says softly. “But I’ve resolved to stay strong for you guys - all three of you.”

 “So have I, and I can’t wait to find them.”

 “We will, Iggy,” he says, patting his friend on the back. “We will, and when we do, I think I might give ‘em both a hug this time.”

 Ignis laughs honestly. “I believe they’ll enjoy that more than anything, Gladio. I really do.”

  
  


  * •••••••



 “Ah,” Prompto breathes out suddenly, clutching his heavy belly as he halts upon stepping over a small boulder. It seems they’ve arrived at this large, rocky outcropping of a makeshift shelter just in time as the pains the blonde is having now are much more frequent and forceful. “Noct?!”

 Noctis turns to him and his eyes go wide as he wobbles quickly over to Prompto. “Prompto, what’s wrong? You hurt?”

 Prompto gasps, pointing at his belly. He winces as his baby kicks him simultaneously with the pain. “The baby’s- ow, gods… The baby, Noct, please?” He looks up at Noctis, squinting. “Painful. Pain.”

 “P-pain?” Noctis stutters. “You’re having pain, okay… How bad is it?”

 “Oh, Noct!” He doubles over, almost falling to his knees. Noctis catches him, but just barely, practically falling over himself.

 Noctis fumbles with helping him stand again, dragging all four of them with what little energy he has left after that long trek into a cave. They’re both exhausted, and now Noctis is sure from how desperate he sounds, Prompto’s actually in labor.

 The sun is just peeking above the mountain tops, but it’s still very chilly. And to make things worse, Noctis sniffs and it smells like the breeze calls for rain. 

 He fears it’ll get even colder.

 Prompto’s pain subsides then and he stands there with his legs bowed inward while Noctis prepares a spot for him to sit by the stone wall. Luckily, he remembered to grab their coats before they left and spreads his on the hard floor of the cave for Prompto to lie down on.

 He pats the floor and then hobbles back over to him. “C’mon, Prompto. Sit down here,” he says hurriedly, taking him by the arm. He lowers him gently as Prompto carefully squats in vain; he ends up plopping down onto the coat anyway.

 Whining softly, Prompto leans back against the wall with a heavy sigh. “Noct, I’m… I’m having this baby here.”

 Noctis gets down on his hands and knees, crawling over to him to brush some bangs from his friend’s blue eyes. “I know,” he replies tenderly in a gasp that surprises himself. “I know, but…” He takes his hand and holds it tight. “I’m gonna take care of you, Prompto, alright?”

 Prompto nods involuntarily, gripping Noctis’s hand for support as another pain surfaces. “Noct, I’m…” He groans a little, curling in to his chest. The contraction comes steadily and he struggles to catch his breath.

 Noctis holds his hand firmly and lets him grip as hard as he needs to, softly shushing him. “Breathe, Prompto, breathe…” He guides him through it, mentally counting how many seconds it lasts. He’d read about how to do that in a book he’d taken home one day from biology class, learning about sexual reproduction and childbirth with Ignis. It made him smile when he thought of the memory, and he was thankful that he’d paid attention to that; he  _ was _ a curious, testosterone-fueled, 16-year-old boy. “It’s okay.”

 Prompto exhales as the pain once again fades away. His head lolls back in exhaustion, and he looks over at his prince with a pained and very frightened expression. “I’m scared. Noct, I’m scared!” He sounds like he’s about to cry at any moment, and Noctis would be shocked if he didn’t; he knows exactly how he feels right now.

 “It’s okay, Prompto,” he says, draping Prompto’s coat over his belly. “Try to stay with me. I’m scared too, but, we have to focus, alright? We’re gonna get through this. We will, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

 “But what if we don’t? What if something  _ does  _ happen? What if I can’t push the baby out? What if you start labor too and I can’t help you? What if-” He’s cut off as Noctis suddenly kisses him on the lips, softly and sweetly. 

 At first, he’s completely unresponsive. Then as Noctis moves closer to deepen the kiss, Prompto feels himself melting into it and he’s enjoying the comforting warmth of Noctis’s lips on his. He’s enraptured; he can’t find it inside of his heart to pull away. He dares to reach up and entangle his fingers in his friend’s dark, fluffy hair, and Noctis moans, crawling over him till he barely touches Prompto’s thigh.

 Prompto parts his lips and lets Noctis inch his tongue just past his incisors, a moan escaping his own self. He can’t believe how good this feels. It’s totally different from what he’s grown used to with Keith; it’s gentle, reassuring, like an angel has kissed him. 

 It doesn’t last long, but for how wonderful it made them both feel, it was worth it.

 He’s not sure why Noctis kissed him, but he doesn’t let his mind wander that far. He’s grateful.

 Noctis slips slowly off of Prompto’s lips and sits back on his heels, still holding his hand and clutching it to his breast. “We’re not gonna go there,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to Prompto’s knuckles. “I’m here for  _ you _ , Prompto. Always.”

 Prompto forces a smile as yet another pain attacks him swiftly. “Like I p-promised you…?” His voice is strained as he leans forward to endure this one, gripping Noctis’s hand harder than before.

 “Yeah.” Noctis lowers his voice out of respect for his friend’s pain. “Just like you promised me.”

 After the next one passes, Prompto tugs Noctis closer again, just for a peck of a kiss and Noctis obliges him. The blonde misses that amazing feeling already. “Noct,” he says, rubbing over his belly as he feels his little one kicking at him again. “Out of everybody that I could be trapped here in this cave with, having this baby…” He turns to him and smiles brightly. He’s tired, but he looks so content. “I’m so, so glad it’s you…”

 Noctis sniggers, leaning in close so their bellies are touching. He nuzzles Prompto’s nose with his own and then rests his forehead against his. “Me too, Prompto… Me too…” He kisses him once more and murmurs against his lips.  _ “I've got you.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, okay... So, there's a little implied Noctis/Prompto here. Oopsy ;)


	13. Sounds of Danger

Noctis’s hand is so sore from all of Prompto’s deathly squeezing, but he wouldn’t trade his place by his side for anything. Every time a contraction ends, Prompto’s looking up at him with such sweet albeit weary violet-blue eyes, and Noctis tries his best to smile as he plants himself beside him.

 One thing that did make their ordeal more bearable though, was when Prompto’s bruised lips were tenderly caressed by his best friend’s soft kisses. They’d both gotten used to the feel of one another’s mouths and tongues that it felt so wonderful whenever they did kiss - even through the pains.

 Whatever Keith had done to them to make them yearn for physical intimacy - especially with each other - was a little disturbing. But they didn’t talk about it. It felt natural, and Noctis told him if he had any problem with it to let him know immediately.

 Prompto had no quarrel.

 Noctis leans back with a hiss, prodding at his belly. His little one hasn't sat still for one second since they escaped, flopping around and performing the occasional somersault.

 Prompto places his hand over Noctis’s. “Makin’ a ruckus in there, huh?”

 Noctis nods, studying the lines of exhaustion under Prompto’s eyes. “Just hope it doesn’t want out before yours.”

 “Don’t think it’ll be a prob-... lem… Oh, Noct…” He tucks his chin in and begins to endure another contraction as Noctis sits up on his knees and holds his hand tight, pressing tiny kisses to it.

 Noctis leans gently against Prompto’s head, whispering the seconds. “Hang on, Prompto, hang on…”

 His pain had increased dramatically within only two hours to the point where he could barely breathe, and when Noctis counted the seconds, Prompto complained through big gasps that it felt more like eternity till the pain passed.

 It became dark very quickly, and Noctis could be praised as a great forecaster because it began to rain as soon as the sun rose. So not only did Prompto suffer through excruciating pain, he was shivering something fierce. Noctis offered him his t-shirt, but his friend absolutely refused saying he needed to keep warm as well in case it hindered Noctis’s own labor.

 “Ow! Ow!” Prompto yells, inching up against the rock wall. His labor is so massively painful that his nerves are numb to the jagged edges of the cave raking into his back. “Ow, Noct, Noct, I’ve gotta push! I’ve gotta push!!”

 Noctis pats the ground around them frantically, trying to avoid the inevitability of having to help his best friend give birth right here and now. “Well, what do you want me to do? What  _ should _ I do!?”

 “IdunnoIdunnoIdunno!!! Take it out - something - Noct! Please!”

 Scratching his head to try to dig out some answer from his frozen brain cells, Noctis is on the verge of panic. “I remember something about like, centimeters or… checking the hole the baby comes out of?”

 “Then do it!!” Prompto cries, groaning as he makes his first push. “Ugh, please!!”

 “With what? How?”

 “A s-stick… your hand, Noct! Just stick your hand up my butt!”

 “Uh, but it’s not your butt it’s coming out of!”

 “Then what- ah, gods!! Shit!- Noct!!”

 Noctis shakily reaches down to remove the jacket from Prompto’s waist, visibly cringing from the enormity of this incredibly uncomfortable situation. “Ok, uh… I’ll just, stick my hand down… and inside your-” He pauses, fingers caressing a damp, wispy head barely sitting just between Prompto’s thighs. There’s no mistaking that it’s a human head.

 “Noct!?” Prompto nearly screams, grunting and groaning as his body pulses and contracts around the tiny human breaching its slippery entrance to the world. “It’s coming, Noct!!”

 “I-I know, I know! I’m trying to think, Prom… I-”

 “NOCT!! DO SOMETHING!”

 Noctis glances down and almost hurls. It’s a most disturbing sight, all the blood and amniotic fluid… The baby’s tiny head of hair - a mixture of light and dark brown - was already out, and Noctis could see that the shoulders were nearing the exit.

 He couldn’t think. Now, he had to act before it was too late.

 “Prompto, push, ‘kay? Push, I’ve got it,” Noctis advises him, half calm and half unsure this is actually going to work in their favor. He cradles the baby’s bloodied head and prepares to grip for it. “Push!”

 Prompto hesitates for a moment, then gives it everything he’s got without another word, trusting his best friend in all ways possible. Tucking his chin to his chest, he bears down and grunts into such agonizing pain.

 Noctis grips and twists gently, slowly guiding the baby along with how steadily Prompto's cervix contracts and reflexes to push it out. Prompto glances up through tired, blurry eyes and sees Noctis smile one last time before he pushes again.

 This goes on for about five more minutes, and then suddenly, it’s over. With one more push, Prompto gasps as the baby slides out and all the pressure and pain leave his body in an instant. He looks up, legs spread slack and floor a mess of bodily fluids as a shrill but feeble cry interrupts the silence.

 Noctis’s blue eyes shimmer hope and a newfound love as he holds the little baby in both hands, cradling it like it might break if he moved even one inch.

 Prompto’s exhausted. He tries to sit up and just barely makes it on his bottom before he has to settle back down with a hiss. His lower half feels so worn and used. His mind a blank, all he can do is stare at these two wonderful creatures in front of him. “Noct?” He rasps quietly.

 Noctis is smiling at the newborn, not even looking in Prompto’s direction. “Y-yeah?”

 “Is it a boy or a girl?” He’s crying yet he doesn’t even realize it.

 Noctis looks to Prompto now, every bit as happy to see his friend crying as he is to hold so precious a life so close. “A boy…”

 Prompto throws his head back in disbelief as Noctis hands him his baby to hold. Wonderment shines in those violet eyes not so long ago filled with fear. “He’s uh, he’s so… beautiful, Noct… He’s beautiful…”

 “He is,” Noctis agrees wholeheartedly, wiping his eyes. “You did good, Prom, you did good.” 

 He leans in close when Prompto reaches out and tugs on his sleeve. He doesn’t have to say anything anymore. Noctis knows exactly what he’s asking for.

 Making sure his belly rests between Prompto’s quivering legs, Noctis presses his lips to his as he sits on his knees. Languidly, Prompto takes the initiative to lick Noctis’s lips, offering an invitation. But Noctis is in no hurry and pulls away after a few blissful seconds.

 “So…” Prompto whispers with the grin of a proud parent, caressing his son’s soft, wispy hair. “I… did good?”

 “Yeah,” Noctis says gladly, sitting beside him. He watches as the baby slowly falls asleep. “Just in time, too,” he adds quietly enough so Prompto can’t hear as he feels quite a strong pain envelop his lower half. “What are you gonna name him?”

 “I already picked one,” Prompto sighs contently. “Skylar.”

 “‘Skylar’? Like the sky?”

 “Yeah… ‘cuz it was the first thing I looked at after we escaped, and the last thing I saw before he came!” He chuckles happily, joyfully, and the sound makes Noctis happy, too.

 Happier than he’d been in eight months.

 “I like that,” the prince says softly, kissing Prompto’s cheek. “Skylar’s a good name.”

 “Dude. It’s  _ the  _ best name ever.” Prompto was back to his old self again, and that was a miracle before his very eyes.

 

  * •••••••••••••



 

 The day grew darker and darker, even when the sun climbed to its highest peak. Then it began to thunder.

 All Prompto did was sleep - all day long, but it wasn’t a surprise. They had been through so much, and for him to have rest like this was a blessing. Noctis wouldn’t complain about having to care for Skylar alone; on the contrary, he enjoyed every second!

 ...Until Prompto awoke to feed him, but other than Skylar’s frequent lunches, Noctis waddled around gleefully like a new mother duck leading her chicks down to frolic in a lake. But it soon became too unbearable just to walk, every motion feeling increasingly difficult as he gained more contractions.

 His labor wasn’t progressing quite as fast as his friend’s, but he didn’t think too much of it and brushed it aside as maybe his baby was just too comfortable in his belly.

 Noctis sat nearby Prompto, cradling newborn baby Skylar in his arms and cooing to him as his mother slept. The prince had no doubts - when this baby opened his eyes, he gazed in amazement at how he had inherited Prompto’s violet hue beneath all that wispy, sandy blonde hair. He was beautiful, and it urged him to wonder what his own baby would look like when it came out.

How a monster like Keith could ever make such a beautiful baby, he'll never know. But he passed it off as more Prompto's genes than anything, and he was sure his own baby would inherit his royally natural beauty as well.

 But from the pinching aches in his lower back and bloating pressure in his abdomen, he figured he didn’t have to wait too long to find out.

 Placing the baby gently in Prompto’s lap, Noctis crawls out away from their little space by the wall and pads along the cave floor, trying to walk off his latest contraction. He takes some deep breaths and massages his lower back, rubbing over his belly.

 “Please don’t come yet, baby…” He mumbles, whining as the pressure in his belly suddenly drops lower. He stops and leans against the wall to catch his breath. “Please? Not yet…”

 Prompto awakes with a loud yawn, making his presence known to Mother Nature just outside the cave and probably beyond by at least half a mile. Skylar’s eyes squint as he looks to his mother and starts bawling. The young blonde smiles tiredly and cradles him, clutching him to his breast. “Hey, hey,” he says softly. “It’s okay, buddy! I’m here. You hungry?”

 “I am.”

 Prompto’s head snaps up at the strain in Noctis’s voice as he waddles closer with a hand steadying his belly. He’s seen that pose before… in himself, and he knows exactly what it means. “Noct? You okay?”

 Noctis makes a face and pouts, though nearly grimacing. “No, I said I was hungry. Got any for me?”

 “Yuck, dude!! That’s sick!” Prompto laughs and grabs Noctis’s hand, gently guiding him back down beside him. “Only got enough for Sky, and I can tell you - he already doesn’t like to share.” And Skylar is right on cue with proving that point as he nips at the blonde’s pert nipple through his shirt, letting out little noises as he searches blindly for it. “I never thought being a mom was this much-”

 “Work?” Noctis interjects, nudging his friend’s shoulder. Prompto sticks his tongue out at him.

 “No,” he says, denying sarcasm. His eyes sparkle with adoration for this new life in his arms. “It’s a joy. Skylar is my joy -  _ our _ joy, and I love him so much. I’m super happy, Noct, and I don’t want it to end.”

 “Me either,” he agrees sadly, lifting some tufts of the baby’s hair between fingers. “But if we don’t make it to the shore soon…”

 “Then Keith will find us.”

 Both boys shudder at the thought. It’s not an easy thing to admit, but it could very well happen. This is Keith’s home, the place he grew up. If either of them believed he’d never find them, they were sorely mistaken.

 Prompto is usually the more optimistic of the two of them, but since this whole disaster was his fault in the first place, he felt responsible, and therefore, worried enough for Noctis as well. Plus, no one could deny how much more the man favored Prompto over Noctis.

 Noctis knew this by heart, unfortunately. Keith was a man who got what he wanted, when he wanted, and if that thing was Prompto, the prince was always powerless to stop him. At the start of this, Noctis had planned on protecting Prompto. But in the end, things turned on Prompto much too quickly.

 But surprisingly - for anyone who didn’t know Prompto as well as Noctis did - the blonde was completely selfless, and dedicated to the promise he made to his friend what seems like an eternity ago.

 

  * •••••••••



 

 Once the storm had died down and the quiet of night settled back into the valley, the boys fell into a restful slumber, taking Sky with them as he slept snuggled in Prompto’s arms. But there was only one thing wrong with how well they slept…

 Noctis’s contractions, that progressed so agonizingly slowly he wondered how a woman could survive the first few hours of labor. He groans softly, patting at his lower back for lack of a better way to soothe his pain and achiness.

 He rolls onto his side and feels a gush of wet warmth slip down between his legs. He covers his mouth to keep from waking Prompto, but the squeak he makes upon realization that this is really happening alerts the sleepy blonde.

 “Noct?” Prompto rubs his eye with his fist and looks over at Noctis, who’s curled in on himself in an attempt to endure a particularly painful contraction. Prompto’s heart leaps and he goes wide-eyed in a flash. “Noct?!”

 Noctis grimaces, feeling Prompto at his back with worried hands. “Prompto… I’m f-fine…” He’s not, and he’s surprised Prompto knows this. But how could he not? He just had a baby.

 “Noct,” Prompto whispers. “Contractions. How bad are they?”

 “They-” He’s cut off by a sharper pain right after, crying out. “Gods!”

 The contractions become stronger and stronger as the night wears on wearily, Noctis’s moans and groans earning Skylar the right to bawl his eyes out every now and again. Prompto is exhausted and wants to lie down and sleep, but he’s got a job to do and a promise to keep.

 Noctis helped him, now he’s gotta do the same.

 “That was a big one, huh?” Prompto says, sounding confident as he nudges Noctis’s shoulder. He’s way beyond believing his optimism. “Need anything?”

 Noctis takes a deep breath, shifting to a more comfortable slouch. “Big enough,” he sighs. “I just want you to stay with me.”

 Their eyes lock and Prompto wants so desperately to kiss his best friend, but questions if now is a good time. The tired lines under Noctis’s blues are a fine reminder; rather, that now is the time for ample space between them, and respect.

 “Prom?”

 Prompto gives him a soft, knowing smile. “Gotcha,” he says and kneels beside him, glancing twice at his sleeping son before taking Noctis’s hand. He’d swaddled Skylar in his father’s sweater as best he could. “I’m right here.”

 Noctis looks up at him from under the shadow of his bangs. The blonde seems to be mesmerized by the soothing sound of his newborn’s tiny breaths. He’s staring. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

 That’s a weird question. Prompto whips around to grin at his prince, his failing bravado embarrassing as ever. “You, of course. What else?”

 “No, you weren’t,” Noctis sniggers. “What’s on your mind, buddy? Spit it out, c’mon.”

 “You really wanna know?”

 Noctis nods.

 Prompto crawls over Noctis’s belly and kisses him, and then backs off, sitting on his knees behind his feet. “I know that pretty soon…” He inhales sharply, shakily. “We’ll have to… face Keith.”

 Noctis scrunches his nose. “What? What are you talking about? He doesn’t even know where we are!”

 “He’ll find us, Noct. It’s only a matter of time, and when it does happen, he’s gonna take Skylar, and probably kill us!”

 “He’s not gonna find us, Prompto.”

 “Noct, if you just listen-”

 Noctis leans up on his palms and almost glares at his friend. “I’m not letting him hurt you again!”

 Prompto looks toward the outside, where danger and uncertainty await the two boys and their babes. “Can I tell you something, Noct?” He hears Noctis sigh at this, but he continues anyway. “...I don’t think we’ll ever get back home.”

 Noctis perks up and grabs his belly anxiously. “What?”

 “We’re miles from nowhere, Noct. How the hell are we ever gonna find our way with two babies on our backs? We’re tired, beaten… half of our bodies are covered in bruises, cuts and… I don’t even wanna think about what my stuff down there looks like.”

 “Well,” Noctis sighs rashly, “I’ve seen it plenty, and it looks just like mine, so… Nothing special down there.”

 “Noct,” Prompto places his hand on Noctis’s bare knee and gazes into his eyes with all seriousness. “I love you. And if I can, I’ll protect you till I  _ do  _ die, or someone kills me, y’know? I wanna be prepared in case Keith finds us and…” He sniffs, trying not to cry. “...finds an opportunity in his wicked, sickening heart to hurt you.”

 Noctis hugs him and feels him start to shake. “Prompto, we’ll be fine. As long as we stay together and watch each other’s backs, we’ll make it. You know we-”

 Suddenly, a low, rumbling voice clambers along the walls of the cave, causing them both to freeze. Noctis looks to Prompto. Prompto looks to Noctis. They share a breath and then hold it… A flickering lantern light crawls across the cave floor and nearly shines on Noctis’s legs. The prince scurries away just a bit before another contraction hits him.

 Noctis gasps out of pain, and Prompto hates to do it, but he covers Noctis’s mouth to keep them both quiet.

_ “Noct,”  _ Prompto whispers, pressing his body close to his friend’s. He holds the prince’s hand over his belly and squeezes to try to ease his silent suffering.  _ “Breathe, Noct, okay? Be quiet though… I’m so sorry.” _

__ “Prom?” Noctis’s strained voice is too loud.

_ “Shh!”  _ Prompto steals a cheek kiss and cowers beside Noctis. 

 The voice outside becomes louder, joined by a few other voices that sound like men.

 “Find anything?” One shouts over the noise of crickets chirping.

 “Not yet! Followed a couple screwy footprints in a circle!”

 “Must’ve been a deer,” a deep accent slurs, and from the shadows Prompto can make out, he’s a big, fat man.

 Then, there’s  _ that  _ voice - the one that makes both boys wish they never left home.

 “It wasn’t a deer, you idiots. It was them. They came through here.” He sounds like he’s burning with incredible rage, and his famously heavy boots are making so much noise, crunching on the wet grass. It’s disturbing Prompto’s baby. “My boys are  _ here _ .”

 Skylar wakes up with a tiny whine and begins to whimper, setting off Prompto’s already high-strung nerves. If the men hear this baby’s cry, it’s all over for them.

 The blonde moves quickly to grab his baby and clutches him to his chest, lifting his shirt to let him feed. To his relief, the baby quiets down and suckles to his heart’s content, allowing Prompto to snuggle up to Noctis.

 Noctis burrows his nose into Prompto’s chest and whimpers, peering up exhaustedly at his friend. “ _ It’s him,”  _ he says, tone faltering from fear.  _ “It’s him, Prompto.” _

_ “I know, Noct… I’m so afraid…” _

__ Eventually, the voices move away, and they can no longer hear Keith’s anger hanging over them. It’s quiet again, and Noctis can breathe freely once more as Prompto rocks his son to sleep. But there’s no solace after what had been too close of an encounter with the man from whose hands all this tragedy has befallen them.

 They’re both so shaken and scared now, and Noctis can barely endure so much of his labor alone, feeling emotionally and physically overwhelmed by everything. So, Prompto sets his slumbering son back down on the floor close to them, swaddled warmly in Keith’s sweater, and huddles beside Noctis.

 Noctis cries softly, fingers clutching his belly as he grasps Prompto’s shirt and holds as tight as he can manage. Prompto feels he can’t yet release that breath he’s held for gods know how long, until he’s absolutely certain they’re alone again.

 Prompto allows himself to cry, but only to the point where Noctis is louder than himself, respectfully understanding that this is Noctis’s time to feel weak.

 Noctis buries his face further into Prompto and begins to shiver, and all Prompto can do in this moment is hold onto him and pray.

 Pray not for a chance of escape, but for the mercy of rescue.


End file.
